HOW TO SEE 
THE BATTLEFIELDS 



CAPT.ATHERTON FLEMING 




HOW TO SEE 
THE BATTLEFIELDS 




Territory over which the B.E.F. fought. 



how to see 
The Battlefields 



BY 

CAPT. ATHERTON FLEMING 

^^ Daily Chronicle '''' Special Correspondent (191 4) 



With Fourteen Maps 



New York 
FUNK AND WAGNALLS COMPANY 



y^^ 



SIT ' / 5S?rJ 



FOREWORD 

This book is not, by any means, to be regarded in 

the light of an attempt to describe any particular 

period, or phase, of the Great War. It is simply an 

endeavour, and a very crude one, to set before the 

public, in as concise a manner as possible, a certain 

amount of information which has been collected in 

the course of over four years' campaigning in France 

and Flanders. 

There are many thousands of people who will 

want to see the ground over which the fighting took 

place; some, no doubt, out of pure curiosity, others 

with a much more pathetic object in view. To the 

latter their journeyings will be more in the nature 

of a pilgrimage than a mere round of sightseeing, 

and should the information contained herein prove 

of use to these pilgrims, I shall feel more than amply 

repaid for mv trouble. 

A. F. 

Wiston, July, 1919. 



CONTENTS 



SECTION 

1. NiEUPORT — Ypres — Bailleul 

2. Armentieres — Bethune — Arras 

3. The Somme and Cambrai . 

4. St. Quentin — Roye — Noyon 

5. montdidier — compiegne — soissons 

6. The Retreat from Mons 

7. From the Chemin-des-Dames to 

Marne, 1918 



THE 



PAGE 

I 

17 

38 
58 

75 

QO 
III 



LIST OF MAPS 



Territory Over which the B.E.F. Fought 
NiEUPORT — Ypres — Bailleul . 
Armentieres — Bethune — Arras (I.) 

ArMENTIERES BfiTHUNE ArRAS (II.) 

The Somme and Cambrai 
St. Ouentin — Roye — No yon (T.) 
St. Quentin — Roye — Noyon (II.) 
Montdidier — Compiegne — Soissons (I.) . 
Montdidier — Compiegne — Soissons (11.) . 
The Retreat from Mons (I.) . 
The Retreat from Mons (II.) 
Chemin-des-Dames TO theMarne, 1918 (I.) 

ChEMIN-DES-DaMES TO THE MaRNE, I918 (II.) 

Plan of Trench System. 



Fo 



Frontispiece 

PAGE 

5 
19 
27 

41 

61 

65 
77 
83 
93 

lOI 

113 
119 

r.-nip page 24 



HOW TO SEE THE 
BATTLEFIELDS 

SECTION I 

Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul 

If a line could be drawn from the North Sea coast 
near Nieuport in Flanders, down through Dixmude, 
round Ypres and Armenti^res, between Bethune and 
La Bassee, in front of Arras, and through the Somme 
country, Bapaume and P^ronne, on to Roye, Noyon, 
and then Soissons, along the Chemin-des-Dames to 
Berry-au-Bac — a line varying from five to ten miles 
in width, and at some places, notably the battlefields 
of the Somme, bellying out to twenty or more — this 
swath of land would define, fairly accurately, the 
whole of that area which we used to call "the Western 
Front." To all intents and purposes the line, so far 
as British and Colonial troops are concerned, ceases 
to interest us farther east than Berry-au-Bac. Until 
the Second Battle of the Marne, in 1918 — the decisive 
turning-point of the Great War — British troops had 
not occupied the Chemin-des-Dames line — except for 
a very short period during the 1914 retreat — before it 
was handed over by the French to the gth Corps of 
the British Army, composed of certain divisions which 



2 How to See the Battlefields 

had been badly knocked about and were sent there 
for a rest. 

For the tourist who wishes to investigate the whole 
of the battle line from the North Sea coast to the 
Swiss frontier, there are, of course, several historic 
battlefields on the French fronts to be visited : 
Verdun, for instance, possibly the bloodiest of the 
lot; the town of Rheims, or what is left of it; the 
famous St. Mihiel salient, and the Vosges. I do not 
know any part of the line east of Berry-au-Bac, there- 
fore I won't attempt to describe it. When all is said 
and done, I think the average Britisher, male or 
female, will be more interested in that section of the 
Western Front which was held by the British Army ; 
just as the average French man or woman would 
flush with pride at the mention of Verdun and be 
comparatively unaffected by the mention of Ypres — 
it is but natural. Thomas Atkins had heard of 
Verdun, but exactly where it was did not interest him 
very much; it was "Somewhere in France," and so 
long as he was not "going into the blinkin' line 
there" he didn't think any more about it. 

What I am going to attempt to describe is that 
swath of battlefield which is sacred to our own troops ; 
how to see the most interesting part of the line, the 
places to start from, the roads to use, and, to the best 
of my ability, the objects of interest to be seen at 
various points of the tour. 

There are +hree ways of seeing the Front — pos- 
sibly a fourth. The first is a walking tour, and to 
the tourist with plenty of time on his hands, this, in 



Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul 3 

my opinion, is the ideal method; the second is by 
train to various centres and then on foot to the points 
of interest within easy reach ; and the third is by 
motor-car. I mentioned a possible fourth, and that, 
there is no doubt, will be the inevitable "conducted 
tour." 

Calais, that famous port which the ex-Kaiser in- 
tended to use as a jumping-off ground from which to 
attack England, will now be used by the tourist as 
a jumping-off ground from which to view the scene 
of the War Lord's discomfiture. Instead of "Nach 
Kales " the signpost is now pointing in the opposite 
direction; the writing thereon reads "To Berlin." 
Instead of going to Berlin, however, we take the train 
to Nieuport; even for the "foot-slogger" this will be 
the best way to get to the beginning of the line ; there 
will be plenty of walking to do later. 

The quaint old Flemish town, Nieuport, with its 
Templars Tower, now but a mass of rubble, the result 
of four years of fighting, is to all intents and purposes 
the beginning of the stupendous trench system which 
stretches to the Swiss frontier. For some consider- 
able time in 1914 the Allied line followed the eastern 
bank of the Yser river from the sea to Nieuport, 
which it included then, turned sharply southwards 
across the canal, following the Ypres — Nieuport rail- 
way embankment, passed in front of Ramscapelle, 
and then on to Dixmude. With steady forward pres- 
sure, almost yard by yard the line was advanced until 
Lombartzyde was taken, and our front line was just 
outside Westende. 



4 How to See the Battlefields 

The pushing forward of trenches in the sandy 
area between the canal and the sea, and the fall of 
Lombartzyde, enabled the Allies to advance out of 
the flooded area betw^een Ramscapelle and the river, 
and take up a new position some little distance on 
the other side of the Yser. The course of the fighting 
may be followed down through Pervyse to Dixmude, 
where one may gaze upon what is left of the once 
beautiful parish church of St. Nicholas, which was 
noted for its flamboyant rood loft. From Dixmude 
one cannot do better than follow the line of the Yser 
Canal, which runs through to Ypres. Some of the 
hardest fighting in the war took place along this 
canal, and the battle swayed backwards and forwards 
over this much-coveted position for many long 
months, always leaving the balance in the favour of 
the Allied troops. Yet the cost was heavy, as can be 
seen by the numerous wooden crosses in the imme- 
diate back areas. Across the canal to Merckem and 
then by the road eastwards brings us to Houthulst 
Wood, which proved an expensive obstacle to us 
several times after the capture of Langemarck, when 
the British attempted to open up the Ypres salient 
to the north. Pilkem and Boesinghe, Het Sas and 
Steenstraate — what is left of them — are all close to 
one another, and are mentioned later. Boesinghe 
marks the extreme point reached by the enemy when 
they settled down to trench warfare in 1914. 

Through Poelcapelle we get to Passchendaele 
Ridge. Passchendaele itself there will be some diffi- 
culty in finding, although there ought to be a bit of 




THE MAFPA CO.. LTD.. L0NDO> 



6 How to See the Battlefields 

the church left ; but it is worth visiting, if only to show 
some slight mark of respect to the thousands who fell 
there in the last weeks of 1917. I think the very limit 
of human endurance was reached during the Pass- 
chendaele "stunt," for if ever man had a foretaste of 
hell it was surely there. There are many who have 
reason to remember this place. When you go there 
try and realise what it must have meant — and cost — 
to storm the ridge with the weather conditions at their 
very worst, with no cover worth mentioning, and the 
enemy fighting all he knew. 

From Passchendaele — unless the traveller wishes 
to go farther westwards into what was German terri- 
tory during the four years of war — the best road is 
through Broodseinde and Zonnebeke. If you had any 
friends or relations in the Gunners, ask them what 
they thought of Zonnebeke as a health resort ; and a 
little farther on, when you come to the heap of rub- 
bish which marks the site of Frezenbecq, turn sharp 
left and cut into the Ypres — Menin road about halfway 
between Hooge and Gheluvelt, both of which places 
are noted battlefields. From Hooge a direct road 
leads to Ypres, and — well, I am not going to try and 
describe the indescribable, so that I must limit myself 
to a few remarks anent a place which is to the British 
nation what Verdun is to the French. 

Let us suppose that the traveller has come straight 
from the coast with the idea of visiting Ypres, and 
that a halt has been called at Cassel, an excellent 
vantage point or "O Pip " from which the surround- 
ing country may be viewed for miles. 



Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul 7 

From the windows of the principal hotel in this 
town one may obtain the first sight of Ypres — a white 
patch on the plain — the ghost of a town that four 
short years ago was the pride of the Belgian people. 
For Ypres, far more than Ghent or Bruges, had 
retained its medieval character, possibly owing to 
the fact that it had died, commercially, with the hand- 
weaving industry. As I write the news has just 
arrived that the Belgian Government has decided nol 
to rebuild the town. I for one do not see what else 
it could do. One can restore and repair ancient 
buildings which have been badly damaged by shell 
fire, but this is not a case of mere restoration or 
repair. Look at the crumbling heap of stones which 
now barely marks the base of what was once St. 
Martin's massive belfry; one Gothic arch is all that is 
left of the nave of the church, and all the old houses 
of the Square, with their quaint Spanish architecture, 
have been destroyed; whole streets have disappeared 
under masses of stones and rubbish. Who could 
reproduce the stone carving of the old Cloth Hall ? 
In the first place, there were eighty windows — if my 
memory serves me rightly — and they were all differ- 
ent ! I agree with Emile Cammaerts, who says that 
" Ypres could only be rebuilt by the men who erected 
her walls six or seven centuries ago." The town 
should be left as it is, untouched by aught but nature, 
surrounded by what is left of its walls — a monument 
to German Ktdtur and a constant reminder to man- 
kind of the value of the written word of man. 

For over four years of fierce fighting "the 



8 How to See the Battlefields 

salient of Ypres" has proved that British soldiers 
can hold their own in the face of appalling odds and 
under conditions which cannot possibly be realised 
by those who have not actually taken part in the 
fighting. Bad conditions there have been — very bad 
sometimes — on many other parts of the front, but 
nothing ever was so bad as the line of defence in 
front of Ypres. Ask any old infantryman what he 
thought of the salient — and get out of his way before 
he replies. He wants to forget it. Ypres was occu- 
pied by the British on October 14, 1914, and since 
then proved to be the scene of many a bloody fight 
and an insuperable obstacle to the Kaiser's march on 
Calais. 

From October 16 to November 11, over which 
period raged the First Battle of Ypres, the Allied 
forces by attacking and counter-attacking, and, to put 
the "tin hat on it," as Tommy would say, by finally 
routing the Prussian Guards, within a few hundred 
yards of our artillery positions, effectually demon- 
strated that the British soldier still possessed that 
stubborn, dogged pluck for which he has been 
famous ever since Britain has been a nation. 

The Second Battle of Ypres began on March 16, 
1915, and lasted till May 17. On Thursday, April 22, 
the enemy launched his first gas attack — on that day 
German Kultur reached its zenith, and in the follow- 
ing days .the Canadians reached theirs. No words 
of mine could describe the sufferings of these gallant 
Colonials, of how they held on, hour after hour, with 
grim tenacity in spite of the poisonous fumes — and 



Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul 9 

yet it is but anotlier episode in the history of 
Ypres. 

During this first gas attack severe fighting took 
place west of St. Julien, and here Lieut.-Colonel 
Burchall, the very gallant commander of the 4th 
Canadian BattaHon, met his death whilst rallying 
his men. It should be remembered that at the period 
of which I write there was absolutely no known means 
of protection from gas — gas-masks had not even been 
thought about — and it surely does not need a vivid 
imagination to realise what a truly terrifying ordeal 
the first gas attack must have been for those troops 
who had to undergo it. Death from gas poisoning is 
a most horrible thing. Nothing could be worse for 
the rnoral of troops than the sight of men lying about 
writhing and twisting in the throes of slow suffoca- 
tion. And yet these Canadians held on long enough 
to decide the issue of the battle. West of St. Julien 
heavy fighting was taking place up to the Yperlee 
Canal near Boesinghe, and across the canal the enemy 
was advancing from Steenstraate on Ligerne and was 
throwing bridges across the canal at several points. 

The position of affairs in Ypres in October, 1914, 
from the inhabitants' point of view, had been black 
enough in all conscience, but the further exhibitions 
of German Kultiir in the shape of poisonous gases 
decided matters, and they evacuated the town in a 
body. Men and women who had stood the nerve test 
of many weeks of high-explosive shelling gave in at 
last — the limit had been reached. They streamed out 
of the town along the road to Poperinghe. Carts full 



10 How to See the Battlefields 

of bedding, furniture and household goods — carts 
drawn by horses, oxen, dogs, and very often with 
only a man between the shafts, and a woman or child 
pushing behind — blocked the road for miles and 
proved a very great hindrance to the arrival of the 
necessary reinforcements which were being rushed up 
with all possible speed. As an instance of forced 
marching the Lahore Division covered thirty-three 
miles between i o'clock on April 24 and 10.30 a.m. 
the next day. 

At Grafenstafel, north-w^est of Ypres, on April 25, 
1915, the Durham Light Infantry were subjected to a 
very heavy gas shell bombardment, and had to fall 
back to a position on the bank of the Wannabeck. 
On Monday, the 26th, our Indian troops of the Lahore 
Division received their baptism of gas in the attack 
on St. Julien, which they did in concert with General 
Riddell's Brigade. In this attack all but three Indian 
officers became casualties, and Jemadar Mir Dast, of 
the 58th Coke's Rifles, won his V.C., and in the 
afternoon General Riddell fell. 

From this time onwards until May 11 the battle 
raged almost unceasingly between Steenstraate and 
Frezenberg until the Germans, evidently "fed up" 
with their lack of success, heavy losses, and our 
stubborn defence, started shelling Ypres with incen- 
diary shells and set the town on fire in many places. 
On May 15 the little village of Het Sas, near Steen- 
straate, was occupied by the Zouaves, after they, 
helped by Algerian troops, had worked their way 
forward, and left piles of German dead behind them. 



Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul ii 

The neighbourhood of Het Sas and Steenstraate is 
the graveyard of many hundreds of Huns. 

The battlefield of the "salient " has been the 
scene of so many Homeric fights that it is extremely 
difficult to advise the visitor what to see and what to 
miss. The only satisfactory way to "do " this district 
is to walk it — or ride if a horse can be obtained. There 
is not a square yard between Langemarcke and Holle- 
beke that is not noted for some episode or other. 
Pilkem certainly ought to be seen. 

This village, at the opening of what I think is 
now termed the Third Battle of Ypres, on July 31, 
1917, was a position of some considerable strength, 
and was defended by a wide and deep trench, in which 
concrete was largely used to strengthen the trench 
shelters. In the village itself many of the shell- 
shattered houses had been fortified with concrete, and 
some were so strong that they had resisted the shock 
of bursts from 8-inch and 9.2-inch heavy howitzer 
shells. Farther to the south of the village one may 
trace the remains of the German posts of Gallwitz 
Farm, Mackensen Farm, and Zouave Farm. These 
posts proved tough obstacles to the attacking forces, 
as they were very strongly fortified and manned. A 
German prisoner told me after the engagement that 
he did not think it possible for any infantry troops 
to survive in front of Mackensen Farm. As this 
prisoner was one of the garrison of the place he 
probably knew what he was talking about. To the 
Welshmen belongs the credit for capturing these 
formidable defences, and having gained knowledge 



12 How to See the Battlefields 

by bitter experience, they did not attempt a frontal 
attack, but reduced the garrison by a series of out- 
flanking movements, which were completely suc- 
cessful. 

After a visit to the "salient," or possibly before it, 
I should advise the tourist to make a tour of the imme- 
diate back areas before leaving the district to go 
farther south to Bailleul and Armentieres. A run 
through Dickebusch and Reninghelst to Kemmel 
(from Kemmel Hill a magnificent view of the battle- 
field may be obtained), and then back to Locre. From 
Locre, instead of taking the direct road to Bailleul, 
go by the road over Mont Rouge and Mont Noir to 
St. Jans Cappel, and I am sure the Mayor's Secre- 
tary, the worthy M. Sagary, will be only too pleased 
to welcome visitors and give any details required 
relating to the surrounding district. 

I had the very good fortune to be billeted at M. 
Sagary's house for some little time during a rest 
period, and cannot thank either M. or Mme. Sagary 
enough for their kindness to me during my stay there. 
St. Jans Cappel was one of the few villages in the 
district which had totally escaped the Hun "strafing " 
up to the time of the "Kemmel stunt" in April, 1918, 
and then the Hun, with his usual preference for sacred 
edifices, punctured the church tower with one shell, 
and followed the matter up by landing one or two 
more in the streets of the village, much to the surprise 
and indignation of the villagers, who, after four years 
of safety, had hoped to finish the war "unchipped," 
so to speak. Before leaving the district I should 



Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul 13 

recommend a visit to the famous Mont-des-Cats 
Monastery, which is within easy reach of St. Jans 
Cappel. 

To Bailleul is but a short journey. This town 
suffered comparatively little damage up to 1918; 
it was bombed occasionally and shelled intermittently, 
but very little real damage was done. I think the 
Hun always had a sort of idea that Bailleul would 
make a very good headquarters when the '*rush to 
the coast " project was a little more developed, and, 
therefore, he refrained from damaging it more than 
he could help. In 1918, however, during the heavy 
fighting around Kemmel, a very large number of 
shells were sent into the town, and the Grand Place, 
with the Hotel de Ville, was practically razed to the 
ground, and a repetition of the hand-to-hand street 
fighting which took place in both Bailleul and 
Meteren in 19 14 again happened in both these places 
in 19 18 before the Allies finally retook the town. 
Bailleul was not by any means a pleasant town even 
m pre-war days; but during the war it was looked 
upon by the troops as a haven of rest — a place in 
which to buy food and postcards, and the thousand 
and one things the British soldier spends his pay on. 
One could get an omelette and a bottle of quite good 
wine for a few francs at the Faucon, and the familiar 
meeting-place known as *' Tina's" used to be the 
resort of all officers who were able to get down the 
line for a few hours' respite from the Flanders mud 
and Boche high-explosives. One could at least get 
dry outside and wet inside at "Tina's," a pleasant 



14 How to See the Battlefields 

reversal of the usual conditions in the line, and if the 
atmosphere was so thick that one could hardly breathe 
it was a welcome relief for the short time it lasted. 
There used to be a big hospital in Bailleul, and just 
outside the town will be found a British cemetery, 
where many of our boys who have crossed the Great 
Divide are laid to rest. 

A well-known and cheery figure in Bailleul during 
the short time he was in the vicinity was the late 
Vernon Castle, who was with a crack squadron of the 
R.F.C., whose aerodrome for a considerable time lay 
just outside the town. Vernon Castle at the piano in 
"Tina's" was worth hearing, and one was always 
sure of a jolly evening. Another celebrity was the 
officer in charge of the Officers' Clothing Depot 
A.O.D., who, as a rule, used to be shelled out once 
a fortnight, and who used to take a grim delight in 
showing visitors how "the last one" had just missed 
him by a few inches. 

As a typical example of German humour it may 
interest the reader to know that during the short occu- 
pation of Bailleul by the enemy in 1914 they — as a 
joke — liberated the lunatics in the asylum and allowed 
them to wander over the country. Many of these poor 
miserable creatures were afterwards found dead by 
the roadside or in the woods, where they had fled in 
their terror. Can one imagine a more hideous kind 
of humour? 

Bailleul was captured by the British Third Corps 
on October 14, 1914, and remained in our hands until 
the German offensive early in 1918. 



Nieuport— Ypres— Bailleul 15 



Before leaving the northern area the visitor, 
especially if motoring, should go to St. Omer, which 
was for a long time the General Headquarters of the 
British Armies in France, and which from time to 
time was severely bombed by the German night 
bombing squadrons. It was in the town of St. Omer 
that Lord Roberts died on November 14, 1914, during 
a visit to the Indian troops, and the house in which 
he died can be pointed out by any inhabitant. There 
were several fairly large hospitals in the town, and 
in the barracks might have been found the A.S.C. 
(M.T.) School of Instruction, where a very large 
number of rankers received their "course" before 
obtaining a commission, and were licked into shape 
by one Captain Jarred, aided by a pocket-book con- 
taining all the latest stories, again aided by an abso- 
lutely unique knowledge of where to dine, wine or be 
entertained. Those who wish to make St. Omer a 
base cannot do better than put up at the Hotel du 
Commerce in the rue Henri-Dupuis, and there is also 
the inevitable Hotel de France in the Grande Place. 
St. Omer is a great place for convent schools, and is 
also very interesting historically. 

In all these back area towns and villages will be 
found traces of British camps and billets, and the 
visitor, unless he be an expert linguist, need not have 
any French, as most of the inhabitants, and especi- 
ally the younger fraternity, can speak quite good 
English, and are very proud of the fact. It is the 
type of English that "Tommy" has taught them, and 
in some cases will be found rather weird, for Tommy 



i6 How to See the Battlefields 

is somewhat blunt and to the point, and his phraseo- 
logy and mannerisms have been picked up intact by 
the quick-witted French youngsters. It used to 
amuse me very much to listen to some young subaltern 
painfully and haltingly trying to explain to 
'* Madame " the fact that he wanted to purchase eggs 
and milk for the mess, an effort which very often 
ended in the complete exasperation of both parties 
and the departure in high dudgeon of a highly flushed 
youth, sans eggs, sans milk, sans everything. 
Thomas Atkins, on the other hand, has no trouble 
with the language ; he simply rolls up to ** Madame " 
and the conversation is somewhat as follows : 

''Bongjoor, mother." 

"Bon jour, m'sieu — comment ca va ? " 

"Trays beens — got any doo-lay ? '* 

"Oui, m'sieu." 

"Bong — and a couple o' oofs" — holding up two 
fingers. 

"Bien, m'sieu — une minute," and away trots 
"Madame," returning presently with a bottle of milk 
and a couple of eggs; the necessary money passes, 
and the transaction is completed in about as much 
time as it takes to describe it. 



SECTION II 
Armenti^r es— B^thu n e— Arras 

Alternative recommended routes from the coast to 
Armenti^res : 
(i) From Calais — to Les Attaques — Ardres — Nordausques 

— St. Omer — Hazebrouck — Bailleul — Armenti^res. (52 

miles approximately.) 

(2) From Boulogne — to St. Omer (a splendid road) and 

then as above. 

(3) From Dunkirk — to Bergues — Wormhoudt — Cassel — 

Bailleul, then as in (i). (36 miles approximately.) 

For those who are making a complete tour of the line, 
the most interesting road to Armenti^res from Bailleul 
is through Neuve Eglise to Ploegstraat — or "Plug- 
street " as Tommy used to call it — the scene of many 
a sanguinary struggle. Armenti^res was occupied by 
British troops of the 3rd Corps on October 17, 1914, 
the enemy having evacuated the town on the pre- 
vious day. 

Before the war Armenti^res was a prosperous 
manufacturing town, with about 28,000 inhabitants, 
otherwise it was of little interest, and is of less now, 
except as a very much battered evidence of another 
stumbling-block in the pathway of the march to 
Calais. The enemy for weeks on end, sometimes, 
refrained from shelling the place, and the inhabitants 
— those who remained — did a very good trade with 

17 



i8 How to See the Battlefields 

the troops. Thence we go through Fleurbaix to 
Laventie, and then over the famous Neuve Chapelle 
battlefield, the scene of a "victory" which cost us 
over 12,000 casualties; 190 officers and over 2,350 
other ranks were killed here in three days, 359 officers 
and 8,174 men wounded, and 23 officers and 1,723 men 
missing. This was the price we paid for a gain of 
1,200 yards on a front of 4,000 yards. I cannot see 
why we call the Battle of Neuve Chapelle a victor}^, 
considering the fact that our troops were successfully 
prevented from gaining their main objective, the 
Aubers Ridge, and thus obtaining a footing on the 
road to Lille. However, it is not my job to criticise — 
I merely point out the places of interest, and Neuve 
Chapelle may certainly be considered to come into 
this category. It may even have a more than usually 
pathetic interest to some. 

Leaving Neuve Chapelle, follow the road down 
to Richebourg-St. Vaast and Richebourg I'Avoue to 
Festubert, Givenchy, and Cuinchy. One may pass 
over the old front lines between this latter place and 
Auchy-Lr Bassee, and so cross the main Bethune — 
La Bassee road. Turning to the left along this road 
takes us past the " Railway Triangle " — well known 
to the Gunners — the station, and so on into the town, 
the heart of the ''Black Country" of France, which 
is very apdy described by " Eye Witness " as follows : 
"It is mainly an industrial region, and, with it^ 
combination of mining and agriculture, might I .^ 
compared to our Black Country — with Fenlands int r- 
spersed between the coal mines and the factories. In 



ARMENTIERES- 
BETHUNE ^ ARRAS 



Main Rx>ads 
Secondary - 
R.ailways 
Canals 
Scale 0,23 




^TTFTurpTooTTTDTToNDcn; 



20 How to See the Battlefields 

some direction the villages are so close together that 
this district has been described as one immense town 
— of which parts are in some places separated by 
cultivation, and in others by groups of factories 
bristling with chimneys. The cultivated portions 
are very much enclosed, and are cut up by high, 
unkempt hedges and ditches." 

From the visitor's point of view, Bethune is a 
much more interesting place than La Bassee, and 
instead of taking the main road back into Bethune I 
would advise a detour through Hulluch (reminiscent 
of Loos in September, 1915) and Vermelles, the 
scene of a gallant and successful French attack on the 
Chateau de Vermelles, and also — in the grounds of 
the Brewery Chateau — our old 9.2 howitzer positions 
for the Loos battle. In Vermelles, not very far from 
the cross-road in the centre of the village, is a British 
cemetery, the resting-place of many of the officers 
and men who died of wounds in the CCS. just oppo- 
site. There was also, for the battle of Loos, a dress- 
ing station at La Rutoire Farm, a little farther out. 

From Vermelles we pass on to the main Bethune 
— Lens road, and then through Noyelles, Sailly-la- 
Bourse, and Beuvry to Bethune. As the town is 
entered one passes the six cross-roads, known in the 
old days as "Charing Cross," and a most unhealthy 
corner it used to be, as its present condition will 
testify. The enemy made a practice of ** strafing" 
this district fairly thoroughly, evidently with the idea 
that our reinforcements and relief troops must use 
some of the roads — and so they did for a time. But it 



Armentieres—Bethune— Arras 21 

did not take long for the authorities to size the posi- 
tion of affairs up, and "Charing Cross" was given a 
wide berth, with the result that very little damage was 
done by the frequent shelling except to the neigh- 
bouring property. I never could understand why 
Bethune station suffered so little. For three years 
it was used almost constantly by our troops, for en- 
training and detraining supplies, leave men and re- 
inforcements, and during that time it was never really 
badly shelled or bombed. Bethune was a great place 
for "behind the line" amateur theatricals, and some 
very excellent shows were staged in the little hall on 
the Vendin road by that versatile band composed of 
all ranks — and all units — who styled itself "The 
Shrapnels." 

Like Bailleul, Bethune was to the hungry, thirsty 
and mud-soaked man down the line for a rest, an 
oasis in the desert, and the cafe in the Square was the 
meeting-place of many, while the Hotel de France in 
the Marche aux Poulets provided a meal that could 
only be equalled in Paris — until the enemy either 
shelled or bombed the proprietors out of their house — 
I do not remember which. Even then, however, the 
doors were not closed for long, and although the big 
dining-room was put out of action, yet a certain 
number of meals were served in a smaller room at the 
back. The thoughts of many officers will go back 
gratefully to the old place for one thing at least, and 
that was the possibility of obtaining a real hot bath 
in a room all to oneself, with plenty of boiling water 
and a clean towel — all, if I remember rightly, for 



22 How to See the Battlefields 

Frs. 1.50. Until the beginning of the big enemy 
offensive in 1918 Bethune had not been badly knocked 
about when one considers its proximity to the front 
line; but after March, 1918, the town suffered very 
badly, and was, I believe, evacuated en bloc by the 
inhabitants for a time. 

Just outside the town lies Vendin-les-Bethune, on 
the road to Choques, which for a long time was the 
headquarters of the ist Corps, ist Army. Vendin is 
noted for two things — first of all its mine, in which 
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales took such an interest; 
and secondly, for the most comfortable billet it has 
been my good fortune to occupy during the whole of 
my term overseas. Any visitor to the district cannot 
do better than call upon the Veuve Degrugillier in 
the estaminet next to the saddler's shop on the corner 
of the Annezin cross-road. There can be obtained an 
excellent omelette, accompanied by a bottle of really 
good wine, rounded off by a cup of coffee and a 
glass of brandy of a kind that only madame can 
supply. All these things can be procured at a very 
low price, while madame herself is a regular store- 
house of information in connection with la guerre. 
A thoroughly good-hearted Frenchwoman, she could 
not do enough for any British soldier — be he of^cer 
or private — who happened to have the good fortune 
to be billeted in the vicinity. 

Leaving the Bethune district, the choice of two 
routes is presented — one the direct road through 
Noeux-les-lMines and Aix Noulette to Souchez, and 
the other via Noeux-les-Mines, Hersin, and on to 



Armenti^res—Bethune— Arras 23 

Coupigny Hill, from which a magnificent view of the 
surrounding country is obtainable on a clear day. 
The view at night from the top of this hill during a 
"strafe" was indescribably fine; one could see the 
flashes from every enemy gun, and even the streaks 
of fire from rifles and machine-guns; this, combined 
with a display of fireworks in the form of V^ry lights 
and all other kinds of star shells, made the scene 
weirdly beautiful. Coupigny Hill sticks up like a 
huge molehill in the midst of the surrounding 
plains, and one could see for miles into the country 
occupied by the Boche. In the daytime, and with 
the aid of a good pair of field-glasses and a map, it 
is possible to trace the fighting line from south of 
Lens to well north of Bethune. 

From Coupigny we make for Bouvigny-Boyeffles 
— watch the roads in this village, they are very con- 
fusing — and then on to Aix-Noulette. Here the main 
Arras road is again encountered, and a little farther 
along the road goes over the eastern end of the 
Lorette Ridge, and enters what was once the village 
of Souchez. Next to Verdun, I think the fighting 
round this area — that is, at Notre Dame de Lorette, 
Souchez, and Carency — holds a very high place in 
the estimation of the French people. As to its 
ferocity, the huge French cemetery at the station near 
Villers-au-Bois can testify. Carency and the sur- 
rounding area witnessed General Petain's triumph, 
and was the scene of a torrential bombardment from 
the French batteries. The maze ^f trenches in this 
district must be seen to be believed; 20,000 shells 



24 How to See the Battlefields 

rained upon the town of Carency alone and over 
300,000 fell upon the area round about. 

From Carency to La Targette, on the main Arras 
road, the Germans had constructed a line of defence 
known as the "White Works." These entrenchments 
may be traced eastwards to Neuville St. Vaast and 
then southwards to "The Labyrinth" — a system of 
fortified entrenchments which the enemy considered 
to be absolutely impregnable, and which, to quote 
the special correspondent of the Morning Post, con- 
tained every species of death-dealing device known 
to science, including numbers of gas and inflammable 
liquid engines. "Underground tunnels coupled with 
mines complete with small fortresses containing guns. 
... In a maze one constantly turns corners to meet 
blank walls of hedge. In ' The Labyrinth ' such 
blank walls are death-traps, and from their subter- 
ranean refuge bodies of the enemy are liable to appear 
to the rear of the advancing attackers. * The Laby- 
rinth * is linked up by underground tunnels to 
Neuville St. Vaast. . . ." 

In addition to the intense bombardment to which 
the Carency sector was subjected, no fewer than seven- 
teen mines, containing over twenty tons of explosives, 
were fired. The craters are well worth seeing, and 
looking upwards towards the road from the dip in 
which the town of Carency is located the ground dis- 
placed by the tremendous explosions gives the effect 
;of a small range of hills. The fighting in this dis- 
trict took place in May, 19 15, and the German casual- 
ties were put down at over 60,000. I can well believe 




of the Dominion of Canada. Throu^fh Neuville St, 



24 How to See the Battlefields 

rained upon the town of Carency alone and over 
300,000 fell upon the area round about. 

From Carency to La Targette, on the main Arras 
road, the Germans had constructed a line of defence 
known as the "White Works." These entrenchments 
may be traced eastwards to Neuville St. Vaast and 
then southwards to "The Labyrinth" — a system of 
fortified entrenchments which the enemy considered 
to be absolutely impregnable, and which, to quote 
the special correspondent of the Morning Post, con- 
tained every species of death-dealing device known 
to science, including numbers of gas and inflammable 
liquid engines. "Underground tunnels coupled with 
mines complete with small fortresses containing guns. 
... In a maze one constantly turns corners to meet 
blank walls of hedge. In ' The Labyrinth ' such 
blank walls are death-traps, and from their subter- 
ranean refuge bodies of the enemy are liable to appear 
to the rear of the advancing attackers. ' The Laby- 
rinth * is linked up by underground tunnels to 
Neuville St. Vaast. . . ." 

In addition to the intense bombardment to which 
the Carency sector was subjected, no fewer than seven- 
teen mines, containing over twenty tons of explosives, 
were fired. The craters are well worth seeing, and 
looking upwards towards the road from the dip in 
which the town of Carency is located the ground dis- 
placed by the tremendous explosions gives the effect 
iof a small range of hills. The fighting in this dis- 
trict took place in May, 19 15, and the German casual- 
ties were put down at over 60,000. I can well believe 




THE MAPPA CO . LTD , LONDO> 



The black ]<ne 



divides the Allied and German lines. 



Armentieres — Bethune— Arras 25 

it, as when the British took over this area in early 
1 9 16 — February, I believe — on the slope on each side 
of the town and in the town itself amongst the ruins, 
in the trenches and underground tunnels and cellars 
dead bodies were everywhere. Some sort of an 
attempt in many cases had been made to bury them, 
I admit, but the rain had washed away the meagre 
covering of soil and exposed the bodies to view. What 
the weather began the rats completed. To this place, 
when the British took over that sector, came various 
howitzer batteries, and as the early part of 1916 was 
quite warm and springlike, I can assure my readers, 
as one who arrived in Carency attached to a certain 
8-inch battery, that the place was little better than 
a huge cesspit. Never have I seen such rats, or such 
numbers of them, as there were in the Carency sector. 
The place was literally alive with them ; the only 
thing they could not manage to penetrate was corru- 
gated iron. The only part of one's kit that was safe 
was the shrapnel helmet, and I verily believe they 
tried to eat the paint off that. 

As an example of the intensive burrowing system 
of defensive works, there is nothing on the whole 
front to compare with "The Labyrinth," and it is 
very interesting to compare the enemy method of 
making his trenches in 1915 with his later ideas, as 
exemplified in the Hindenburg and similar lines. 

It would be a pity to leave the district without 
paying a visit to the famous Vimy Ridge, which, so 
I have been informed by a Canadian, is now part 
of the Dominion of Canada. Throuofh Neuville St. 



26 How to See the Battlefields 

Vaast and across the main Arras — Lens road to 
Thelus, then work north to Petit Vimy, and from there 
to Vimy proper. A thorough examination of the sur- 
rounding district will well repay the trouble entailed. 
There was a regular network of strong points, 
trenches and wire covering the Vimy Ridge, the 
highest point of which was Hill 145, just north-east 
of Vimy. All the eastern slope of the Ridge and 
the villages of Bailleul-sur-Berthoult, Farbus, Petit 
Vimy, the plateau and the woods were very strongly 
defended. Two huge tunnels, known respectively as 
the Prinz Arnauld and Volker, had been cut through 
the Ridge to enable reinforcements and supplies to 
pass safely from the eastern to the western systems of 
defences. Everything that German ingenuity could 
suggest had been utilised to make the position im- 
pregnable. Nothing, however, is impossible to 
Canadian troops when they are thoroughly roused, 
and on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, at 5.30 a.m., 
after an intense bombardment, and in the middle of 
a severe storm — our usual weather luck — the gallant 
Canadians followed up the barrage, and in less than 
an hour had climbed the slippery heights and gained 
the plateau. The whole of the German first line, with 
the exception of the northern end of the Ridge, then 
fell into our hands. 

While the fight was proceeding on the slopes of 
Hill 145, the concealed entrance of a tunnel suddenly 
burst open and column after column of Huns were 
poured into the battle. They managed to retake a 
part of their lost front line, but the *'Byng Boys" 



28 How to See the Battlefields 

were not done yet, and after a most desperate and 
bloody fight, which lasted until late at night, they 
kicked the Hun out of it again. The next day, 
April 10, the Canadians had managed to complete 
the conquest of the Ridge by finally dislodging the 
enemy from their redoubts on Hill 145, at the northern 
end. During the early morning of April 9 our 
Scottish and North Country troops had been doing 
excellent work at the southern end of the Ridge, 
operations which resulted in the capture of 3,500 
prisoners, a Brigade General and his Staff, 25 guns, 
and a few other odds and ends. The district between 
Roclincourt and Bailleul-sur-Berthoult was the scene 
of this disaster to the Hun arms, and on both sides 
of the road from Arras to Bailleul may be seen the 
remains of the defence works which were smashed up 
by our artillery fire. 

Take the cross-country road from Roclincourt over 
the road leading from Arras to Bailleul-sur-Berthoult 
and on to St. Laurent-Blangy on the Arras — Douai 
road, go straight across the road, and a little farther 
on turn sharply to the right, and you will eventually 
arrive in the Place de la Gare, Arras. It was from 
one of the top windows of the Caf6 des Voyageurs 
that I saw the first shell land in Arras in 1914. Many, 
many thousands of shells have fallen on the beautiful 
old city since tliat day, leaving it battered and deso- 
late. Arras first fell into German hands on Sep- 
tember 15, 1914. Worthy successors to the Vandals 
who sacked the town in 407 a.d., they ate and drank 
of the best they could find, although litde actual 



Armenti^res—Bethune— Arras 29 

damage was done to the town as a whole. The Crown 
Prince and his satelHtes, with the Citadel as their 
headquarters, held a prolonged and disgusting orgy 
of drunkenness. In one of the rooms of the banquet- 
ing hall I saw — and photographed — a heap of wine 
bottles which, at a moderate estimate, numbered some 
4,000, the contents of which had gone to assuage the 
mighty thirst of the all-conquering Hun. 

For a few days only — let it be recorded — did they 
stay in Arras, and during those few days a son of 
the House of Hohenzollern rested from his labours at 
the Hotel de TUnivers. Very apropos was it not? 
Still, mine host Buret, of the hotel, informed me that 
the Prince, in addition to behaving in a very un- 
Hunlike manner whilst in residence, actually paid for 
his food and rooms, thus confirming the worthy man's 
idea that rumour for once did not lie, when she gave it 
forth to the world that the Hohenzollerns were insane. 

A well-known resident in the town was M. Peul- 
beuf, the contractor, who in his little two-seater 
car performed miracles of valour and endurance in 
bringing away the wounded from the line to the 
hospitals in those early days of the war. If he has 
survived and is back again, a more interesting man, 
or one who knows more about the tow^n and its 
vicissitudes would indeed be hard to meet. 

To the west side, on the low ground below the 
ramparts, is the cemetery, which contains many 
graves, both French and British. I saw it last in 
August, 1918, and it is beautifully tencied and 
cared for. 



30 How to See the Battlefields 

One of the most interesting features of Arras is 
its system of caves and subterranean passages. In 
these underground refuges many hundreds of the 
inhabitants lived through the whole period of the 
war. A huge mass of crumbling masonry is all that 
is left of the magnificent Hotel de Ville belfry. Begun 
in the year 1501, it was a splendid example of 
Hispano-Flemish architecture, and drew many thou- 
sands of art-lovers to the town. Everybody has, of 
course, heard of the famous Arras tapestries. 

The first shell landed in Arras on October 6, 1914, 
at five minutes past nine in the morning. This was 
the beginning of a deliberate bombardment of the 
quartier of the Hotel de Ville. The bombardment 
was renewed each day on the 7th, 8th, and 9th, by 
which time the body of the Hotel de Ville was 
partially destroyed, though the tower was almost un- 
injured. Arras is now a mere shell, another ghost of 
a town, and it is heartbreaking to see the ruin of the 
Grande Place and Petite Plrxe, and the remains of 
shady colonnades so Spanish in their architecture. 

During the whole period of the war a news-sheet, 
Le Lion d* Arras, Journal de Siege, was produced 
regularly. I have No. 28 before me as I write. Its 
heading depicts the town in flames, whilst a lion 
rampant holds aloft a flag blazoned with the town 
arms, with the exhortation beneath, *'Pour la Citie. 
Pour la Patrie, tenir ! " Well and nobly have they 
held — and suffered ! 

Arras was twice in German hands, and twice were 
they severely booted out. In both cases the occupa- 



Armenti^res—Bethune— Arras 31 

tion of the town by the enemy lasted but a few days. 
All you British people who visit Arras now that the 
war is over, ponder well what it must have meant 
to stay in that town for four years of war, and thank 
God for your island home and the Navy that pre- 
served it ! Possibly you will go away with a some- 
what fuller understanding of the burden which the 
French people are called upon to bear, for Arras is 
but one of many ruined towns, and by no means the 
greatest. 1870 and 1914 — twice in forty years has the 
fair land of France been laid waste by the Hun. Can 
you wonder that she wants to cut the claws of the 
beast now that the chance has come ? Marshal Foch 
was wise in his generation when he decided on the 
Armistice, and the German delegates wise in theirs 
when they accepted unconditionally. Had the French 
poilu been constrained to fight his way over the Ger- 
man frontier, there might have been one or two debts 
repaid with interest. 

Crossing the Place de la Gare from the station one 
proceeds along the Rue Gambetta, passing the Post 
Office on the left and then coming to the Hotel du 
Commerce on the right-hand side of the street. Bat- 
tered and splashed by shrapnel balls, yet this place 
for many months was a real haven of rest for many 
thousands of officers and men out of the line for a 
temporary rest. Every time I visited the hotel it 
was full of hungry officers, who, somehow or other, 
managed to find a square meal and a bottle of wine 
or beer, at a fairly reasonable price. In the big 
dining-room most of the windows were shattered, 



32 How to See the Battlefields 

and pieces of canvas or linen, or even boards, took 
the place of glazing. A hole in the ceiling in the far 
corner showed where a shell had come through, 
wrecking the rooms above and furrowing the plaster 
in the room below with countless shrapnel tracks. 
Yet, during all the time that Arras was at all in- 
habitable, and even during some of the bombard- 
ments, waitresses could be found in the Hotel du 
Commerce bustling around to feed the hungry 
soldier. It is a matter of very great credit to the pro- 
prietors of the hotel that, in spite of the almost un- 
believable difficulties in obtaining supplies, there 
never was any attempt at profiteering. 

Although there were several hospitals in the town 
itself, the authorities realised that the situation was 
too close to the line for anything like real safety, and 
the majority of the casualties in the Arras area w^ere 
taken farther back to the Casualty Clearing Station, 
which was situated on the Arras — Doullens road near 
Beaumetz. A very large burial ground will be seen 
on the right-hand side of the road coming from Arras. 
At Bellevue, farther along the road on the way to 
Doullens, may be seen the site of a large aerodrome, 
which for many months was the headquarters of some 
of the finest aerial fighters. 

Doullens, if the tourist feels inclined to go there — 
and I shouldn't be very keen myself unless I were 
motoring — is not a very interesting place. The in- 
habitants of this little market town, which has not 
suffered at all during the war, with the exception of 
an occasional bomb, must have done very well out 



Armentiferes—Bethune— Arras 33 

of the British soldier, judging by the prices one had 
to pay when one made a very occasional visit on a 
borrowed car, or lorry-hopped it into the town just to 
see what it felt like to get some decent food once 
more or to buy a copy of the day-bef ore-yesterday's 
paper. Doullens, safe behind the line, was not 
nearly so hospitable as poor battered and scorched 
old Arras. 

If any of my readers want to explore the Arras 
front and are unable to find accommodation in Arras 
itself, I should recommend St. Pol, which is a very 
nice little town, or it is just possible that some sort 
of place might be found in Aubigny, which lies half- 
way from Arras to St. Pol — a little off the road to the 
right. All the back area of the Arras sector will well 
repay investigation, if only to show to the uninitiated 
what a tremendously huge organisation modern war- 
fare demands. 

Near Dainville, on the main road, will be noticed 
large ammunition sidings, which were specially 
constructed for the Arras offensive in 19 17, and one 
can easily picture the busy scene of loading and un- 
loading heavy ammunition — thousands and thou- 
sands of rounds being absorbed by the greedy lorries 
and borne off to the guns up in the battery positions. 
Pitchy black nights, rain and sleet, heaving, cursing 
and sweating drivers, lorries getting ditched and 
pulled out again, horse transport trotting past in the 
darkness, a regular orgy of petrol vapour, noise and 
steam from sweating beasts. Chaos, apparently ; 
yet through it ran a steady current of organisation 



34 How to See the Battlefields 

which gradually ate up the chaos, and quietly and 
unostentatiously supplied everybody's wants, so that 
in the course of some few hours silence reigned over 
the dump, and all that remained was one or two tired 
and dirty officers, some ditto orderlies, and the in- 
evitable sentry marching with measured tread up and 
down the road. All was over until the next ammuni- 
tion train came in and the lorries came back from the 
battery positions to load up once more. And still 
the ceaseless roar of the guns in their positions 
some few miles farther forward, and the vivid elec- 
tric blue flashes which threw everything into bold 
relief ! 

The enemy tried very hard to hit the Dainville 
dump, even going to the extent of throwing over 
15-inch shells, but they did not manage to do more 
than make one or two fairly large holes in the vicinity. 
Wanqueton, which lies west of Dainville through 
Warlus, was less fortunate, for they managed to get 
the dump there, though whether with gunfire or aero- 
plane bombs I do not remember. 

Achicourt, which is almost a suburb of Arras, 
and Agny, which joins on to Achicourt, are places 
worth spending a little time in. Both suffered 
very badly in the early days, and there is a fairly 
large burial ground in the churchyard of Agny. A 
part of the church still remains, and one of the bells 
used to be mounted in a wooden framework at the 
end of the street to give gas attack warnings. The 
ground round here has been fought over several times, 
as the maze of trenches will show. 



Armentiferes—Bethune— Arras 35 

Few operations during the Great War were 
planned with as much thoroughness as the Arras — 
Vimy offensive of 1917. Haig was confronted with 
a problem which was in many ways similar to that 
which the Allied Armies had to solve in 18 13. Guns 
solved that problem, and guns — in such numbers that 
would have given a gunner nightmare merely to 
think of before the war — proved the solution of the 
Arras — Vimy battle. Against the perpetual rain of 
heavy projectiles the Boche line crumpled up, mas- 
sive concrete defences, reinforced with steel rods, 
were shattered to atoms. The steel cupolas garri- 
soned by machine-gunners, which were to play such 
a great part in the defence of the area, were simply 
death-traps. Our infantry made short work of these 
when they got to close quarters, and the shell- 
shocked and nerve-racked survivors of the garrison 
were in the majority of cases quite ready to sur- 
render to the summons of a rifle butt banged on 
the rear doorway. It must have been absolute 
hell inside one of these things during our bom- 
bardment. 

From aerial photographs and visual observation, 
a large relief model oi the Vimy heights and their 
vicinity was constructed as a preliminary to the 
offensive. On this model every detail of the sur- 
rounding country was accurately set out, even to road 
tracks, craters, and wire entanglements. I under- 
stand that the Mayor of Vimy, who was intimately 
acquainted with the ground, lent his valuable assist- 
ance to the constructor, and was able to correct many 



36 How to See the Battlefields 

details which had not been quite clear to the 
observers. 

The roads on the east and south-east side of 
Arras are not in the best of condition — main roads, 
of course, excepted — but I am afraid that the earnest 
student of the battlefield area will miss very much if 
he sticks only to those routes which are in good con- 
dition. "Foot-slogging" is the only way to see the 
real points of interest. Make an early morning start, 
with some sandwiches and a bottle of wine in a 
haversack, a good stout pair of boots, and the fixed 
determination to see as much as you can in the time, 
even if you do finish the day weary and dirty, and 
you will see more in a few hours than I could describe 
in two volumes. You will see a lot more of the 
country than Tommy did, because you will be able 
to put your head up without being sniped at. Both 
sides of the Arras — Vis-en-Artois road should be 
examined. On the one side will be found Tilloy and 
Telegraph Hill, on the other — some distance farther 
east — Monchy-le-Preux. South of Tilloy there used 
to exist an irregular labyrinth of trenches named 
"The Harp" by our soldiers. Farther south — near 
Neuville Vitasse, in an almost direct line from Tilloy 
over Telegraph Hill, was a network of barbed wire 
entanglements known as "The Egg." It was against 
such defences as these that our tanks did such good 
work, especially in the capture of Telegraph Hill and 
"The Harp," while our aerial fighters once more 
demonstrated to the enemy our superiority in the air. 
Battles in the air between quite large formations were 



Armentiferes — Bethune — Arras 37 

very frequent during the day just before our attack, 
which was arranged for April 9, 191 7. On this day, 
as might have been expected, the weather was at its 
worst, just at the time when we wanted it fine, and 
later in the day changed from drizzHng rain to a 
snowstorm. 



SECTION III 
The Somme and Cambrai 

THE SOMME 

The First Battle of the Somme began on the morning 
of July I, 1916, and the British line attacked a front 
of approximately twenty miles — from Gommecourt to 
Montauban. The line on the opening day of the 
battle was roughly as follows : Gommecourt was 
approximately one mile inside Hun territory; Hebu- 
terne about the same distance behind; and our line, 
which then ran almost due south across the Serre 
road in front of Beaumont Hamel, then swung west- 
ward over the Hamel — Miraumont road, the Albert — 
Achiet-le-Grand railway, the River Ancre, and 
just in front of Hamel. Do not confuse this latter 
place with Beaumont Hamel, already mentioned. 
South again in front of Thiepval, then to the Leipzig 
salient, in front of Ovillers-la-Boiselle. Then over the 
main road from Albert to Bapaume, through the 
eastern end of La Boiselle proper, just in front of 
Fricourt, westwards and slightly south of Mametz, a 
little more than a mile south of Montauban. 

Gommecourt is being preserved by the French 
Government as a national monument, and is well 
worth seeing, though many of the trench workings 
are very grass grown and almost obliterated. About 

38 



The Somme and Cambrai 39 

the only thing which in any way marks the previous 
existence of this village is the site of the Chateau de 
Gommecourt, which is noticeable only owing to the 
fact that it is the biggest heap of stones in the neigh- 
bourhood. 

Thiepval, which is just over six miles away, as the 
aeroplane flies, was an immensely strong point, and 
the defences in its neighbourhood — the "Wunder- 
werk " and the Schwaben Redoubt — successfully re- 
sisted our advance for nearly three months. For two 
years the Germans had concentrated all the skill of 
their engineers on the very elaborate stronghold 
called the " Wunderwerk." This strong point was 
what one might call the key of an intricate maze of 
trenches, and commanded, to a considerable extent, 
the surrounding country, situated as it was on the 
high ground in front of Thiepval and behind Hohen- 
zollern Trench. 

It was not until September 14 that men of the 
New Army stormed and took this famous fort, in 
addition to many prisoners, and with comparatively 
few casualties. Very little has been said of this 
operation, but it really ought to rank as one of the 
best organised and best carried out attacks in the 
history of the Somme battle. Possibly it is owing to 
the fact that our troops were going ahead so rapidly 
at the time; still, I think the " Wunderwerk" was the 
key position, and its capture decided the fate of the 
fighting which came later. 

Taking a cross-country short cut almost due east 
of the "Wunderwerk'* we strike Mouquet Farm, and 



40 How to See the Battlefields 

continuing south-east, Pozi^res — on the Albert road. 
This road is in a very good condition, and on both 
sides of it could be seen, until a short time ago, one 
or two derelict tanks of the earliest type — relics of 
the original tank attack in front of Courcelette and 
Martinpuich. On the opposite side of the road to 
Pozieres station there is a cemetery which contains 
the graves of Australian and British troops; many 
of the Mouquet Farm casualties rest here, if they have 
not yet been removed to the big memorial cemetery 
which has been constructed farther along the road. 

It is going to be a very difficult matter for the 
tourist — unless he has already soldiered in the war 
area — to get a real idea of the actual strength of the 
German defences in the Somme area. By this time, 
I suppose, much of the wire has been cleared, a 
large proportion of the trenches and dug-outs filled 
in, and what used to be "No-Man's Land" well 
under cultivation and everything generally made 
nice and tidy. Many of the alleged roads and tracks 
which, in the wet season — and that was every time 
we made a "push" — were up to the knees in mud, 
will now be in a much better condition, and, as a 
matter of fact, parts of the front will look quite as if 
a really comfortable sort of a war could be carried on 
with a minimum amount of trouble and inconveni- 
ence. If any of you get this idea in your heads when 
you are in these places just take a visit to the nearest 
big cemetery and see the names of the men who 
belonged to some of the finest fighting stock in the 
world. They found it difficult enough to advance. 




ARI 



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tcarT 



THE SOMME 
AND CAMBRAI. 

Main Roads ■=. — 
Secondary ■• 

Canals -*— 




Scale 



Mile: 



Gommecourt 
Hebuterne 



nBucquoy 

P uisieu> 
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(Gormacourt 



lAchJet 
'le Grand' 



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umont^ 
tiamel 



Thieayal 



Miraumon__, 

Warliocburt 
Grancfcourt' 

eSars 

^yrcelette 



tPAUME 



Flers ^i och/MLJf. 



ALBERT 



3oi5elle, 

La^dfsdle 

[ricourt 







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Hamel 

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THE WAPPA CO , LTD., LONDON 



42 How to See the Battlefields 

and if they could not advance no other men on earth 
could. They could not go forward, so they died. 
My own brother was one of them. He lies near 
Pozi^res. 

A litde south of Martinpuich will be found 
Mametz Wood and the two Bazentin Woods, while 
about a mile south-east will be found High Wood, of 
evil fame, then Delville Wood and Trones Wood, 
with Waterlot Farm between — all well-known names 
to those who eagerly looked for their daily paper 
when the Battle of the Somme was piling up the 
casualties. High Wood was a tough nut to crack, 
with its fortified craters and machine-gun nests, and 
we took it, and were forced out of it more than once, 
until it finally fell before the onslaught of the London 
Territorials. Flers — to the north-east — fell to 
Colonial and British troops, led by a tank, which 
lumbered lazily and complacently through the main 
street with the enemy bullets rattling like hail on its 
tough hide, much to the amusement of our infantry, 
who cheered it to the echo. 

Another particularly tough obstacle was found in 
the "Quadrilateral,'* a strongly defended position 
some half a mile east of Ginchy, on the Morval — 
Ginchy road. Here our Guards suffered badly, owing 
to the troops on their left flank being held up in front 
of this strong point. Although we lost very heavily, 
there is every reason to believe that the enemy did 
likewise, for it is known definitely that three of his 
best divisions were hopelessly put out of action. 

The work performed by the tanks in this area 



The Somme and Cambrai 43 

was invaluable; this dread new engine of warfare 
fairly "put the wind up" the Boche, following as 
they did our very thorough artillery preparation. 
The incident of the comic tank in Flers did more for 
the infantry that a double ration of rum would have 
done. It was during the attack on Ginchy that Lieut. 
Raymond Asquith, of the Grenadier Guards, the 
eldest son of the then Prime Minister, was killed at 
the head of his men. 

The neighbourhoods of Courcelette and Flers were 
the scenes of very heavy counter-attacks by the Ger- 
mans on or about September i6, the Canadians in the 
Courcelette positions having a particularly rough time 
for some days and nights. After the fall of the 
"Quadrilateral," Morval, Guedecourt, and Lesboeufs 
succumbed, and Combles was seriously threatened 
from the north as well as by the French troops 
operating to the south of the town, which was, before 
the war, a comparatively unimportant place of some 
1,000 inhabitants. It was on the night of September 
25 and 26 that the French and British troops joined 
hands in Combles, and, although the total of prisoners 
was not high, very large quantities of stores were 
taken. The line then ran from the eastern edge of 
St. Pierre Vaast Wood through Sailly-Saillisel, be- 
hind Lesboeufs, touched Guedecourt, and then east- 
wards over the Bapaume — Albert road, north-west of 
Le Sars. 

The month of October, 1916, just when our hopes 
were at their highest, owing to the successful opera- 
tions of the previous weeks, just when another two 



44 How to See the Battlefields 

or three weeks' fine weather would have made all the 
difference in the world, was about the wettest and 
worst month for that time of the year that I can re- 
member. Roads vanished under a sea of mud, guns 
got bogged when they were moved up into position, 
ammunition lorries got stuck and ammunition — heavy 
stuff, 8-inch and 9.2 — had to be man-handled in order 
to keep the howitzers supplied. 

October was one long nightmare to anybody un- 
fortunate enough to be in the Somme area. Many 
and many a time did we pray that our particular lot 
would be sent up to the comparative comfort of the 
"Salient" at Ypres. I wonder if any of my readers 
remember the road to Hebuterne? That road broke 
the heart of more than one man on the ammunition 
supply. How the batteries ever got ammunition at 
all beats me hollow. And yet there are people who 
still think that the A.S.C. (M.T.) had a soft job ! 
Some of them had, no doubt, at the bases, but what 
about the poor devils who — many times — worked 
forty-eight hours on end, at least half of the time 
under shell-fire, plunging and wallowing in and out 
of shell-holes, lorries heavily laden with shells and 
cartridges, well over the axles in mud, no lights, and 
very often no food, and not the slightest protection in 
the way of trench or dug-out when the road was under 
fire ? And yet, in spite of it all, the guns were fed 
and the shells arrived at the batteries somehow or 
other ! When looking at these roads and tracks in 
the Somme area — roads up to the battery positions — 
try to imagine what it must have been like to work 



The Somme and Cambrai 45 

without lights at night — battery positions cannot be 
reached in the daytime except on certain occasions — 
and when the least error of judgment or sleepiness 
on the part of the drivers might precipitate both lorry 
and contents into some huge shell-hole or mine crater. 
The job of driver on a heavy battery ammunition 
lorry was no sinecure, and the gunners themselves — 
to do them justice — are the first to admit it. 

A very good view over the battlefield can be ob- 
tained from High Wood, which can be reached by 
walking across country either from Flers or Martin- 
puich, if the visitor is energetic enough. High 
Wood, as its name implies, is on an elevation, though 
very litde of the actual wood is left ; the site is marked 
by shell-torn and bullet-pierced stumps of trees, rem- 
nants of trenches and matted undergrowth, strands 
of rusty barbed wire, and all the usual battlefield 
flotsam and jetsam, if one may be allowed to use the 
term. Still, if the day be fine and clear, a very good 
view may be obtained. Facing east one can trace 
the Bapaume — Peronne road, with its double line of 
shell-torn trees, quite plainly to be seen down into 
Sailly and Sailly-Saillisel and in front of St. Pierre 
Vaast Wood. To the north-east lies Le Transloy, 
and in the distance, to the west, rises Thiepval Ridge. 
The Butte de Warlincourt is also to be seen — made 
famous, and well remembered, by the French in- 
fantry. 

A very interesting alternative route, which runs 
through and past many famous points in the Somme 
battlefield, is as follows : Start, say, from Doullens, 



46 How to See the Battlefields 

and take the main Arras road, turning off to the right 
at the Mondicourt railway crossing ; go down through 
Mondicourt village — once famed for its billets — and 
then on to Pas, Souastre, and Fonquevillers — known 
.with very good reason to Tommy as " Funkvillers " 
— ^from there to Gommecourt, Puisieux-au-Mont, 
Miraumont, Courcelette, and Martinpuich; then, 
passing the eastern side of High Wood, or stopping 
to view the surrounding country, as already recom- 
mended, take the Guillemont road, and so straight into 
Combles. The return run can be made via Arrow 
Head Copse and the southern ends of Trones Wood 
and Bernafay Wood to Montauban, Mametz, and 
Fricourt, and then direct to Albert. 

To-day Albert is a scene of utter devastation, 
and most of the damage was done during the 
last stages of the war. For many months a huge 
figure of the Virgin, which surmounted the Church 
of Our Lady of Brebieres, hung, at a perilous 
angle, in a seemingly impossible position, apparently 
surveying the desolation spread out below. The pious 
French people looked upon this as a miracle and 
prophesied that the day on which the statue fell 
into the street would mark the end of the war. The 
statue did fall, some considerable time afterwards, 
dislodged by a shell, and although the war did not 
actually end the same day, yet it only lasted a few 
months longer, and so everybody was satisfied. 

From Albert to Meaulte is but a short distance, 
and I recommend the motorist to miss this place, 
which is not very interesting, and take the direct 



The Somme and Cambrai 47 

road to Bray-sur-Somme, which crosses the Meaulte — 
Fricourt road about a quarter of a mile north-west of 
Meaulte. On the run from Bray to Peronne many 
places of interest are to be seen, and the route recom- 
mended is the one from Bray to Cappy, or, better 
still, do not cross the Somme to Cappy, but turn 
sharp north and follow the eastern bank of the river 
up into Suzanne, from the heights of which place a 
magnificent view can be obtained. From Suzanne 
up north to Maricourt, and then easterly to Clery- 
sur-Somme, on the direct road to Peronne, which was 
captured by the British in March, 1917. Peronne 
has been through a rough time and has been very 
badly knocked about. It has changed hands three 
times, once in 1914, when the enemy were driven out 
by the French after doing the usual amount of loot- 
ing; it then fell into their hands once more, and was 
retaken by our troops, as stated above. Once again 
during the great offensive in 1918 this ill-fated town 
changed hands, only to be evacuated when Foch's 
great drive carried us forward again. 

In 19 14 the enemy made a headquarters at Peronne 
Castle, and while their officers held a drunken orgy 
there, the men systematically searched the town for 
what they could find, even going to the extent of 
turning the contents of a toyshop in the Grande Place 
out on to the pavement, where they, apparently, got 
quite a lot of innocent amusement by pulling the tails 
off the wooden horses, blowing the tin trumpets, and 
reducing anything they did not like to powder by 
the simple process of jumping on it. One or two 



48 How to See the Battlefields 

particularly choice spirits conveyed "props" in the 
shape of toy swords, drums, etc., to the local photo- 
grapher's shop^ and insisted on being photographed 
in all their drunken glory, the place of honour on a 
pedestal in the centre of one group being given to a 
looted bottle of champagne. The heroes portrayed 
in this group were of the Unteroffizier class. What 
could one expect from the men if their N.C.O.'s 
behaved in this manner ? 

One of the things which will first strike the ob- 
server when visiting the battlefields of the Somme is 
the wanton destruction by the Germans of the fine 
trees which almost invariably lined the roads. No 
doubt in many cases such destruction was necessary 
from a strategical point of view. The Arras — Bapaume 
road is a case in point; but no amount of argument 
can explain away the fact that fruit trees in orchards, 
and such-like small trees, were cut down close to the 
ground for absolutely no reason at all save that of 
savage spite. Many instances of this kind can be 
seen in the Somme villages, or what is left of them. 
One particular case I remember well was in Bucquoy. 
Part of a garden wall remained standing, and against 
this wall grew two standard peach trees fastened up 
with the usual bits of cloth and nails ; both these trees 
had been slashed with a hatchet or some similar im- 
plement about six inches above the ground; on>e 
had been severed clean through and was dead, the 
other, fortunately, was cut only half-way through, 
and was alive; not only alive but bearing some very 
excellent peaches. This, however, was an exception to 



The Somme and Cambrai 49 

the rule, as most of the work had been so thoroughly 
done that it was obvious to anyone that systematic 
destruction had been ordered by the All Highest, or 
his immediate understrappers. iWar is war, we all 
understand, and such being the case, there is no place 
for sentiment, and everything is fair — as in love, so 
I am told — but when all is said and done, it is pos- 
sible that the marvellous German war machine which 
we have all heard so much about might have been 
more successful if the principal object for which it 
was designed had not been lost sight of in a maze 
of complications and small details, of which the tree- 
cutting episode is a typical example. 

Bucquoy has not suffered quite so badly as some 
other villages — by which I mean that several of the 
houses have at least one wall left standing. There 
used to be an estaminet near the cross-roads that 
went by the name of the *' Red Lion " ; a small board 
suspended from a bracket swung in the breeze, and 
bore the legend painted thereon (on the board, not 
the breeze) "Lion Rouge." It was quite a comfort- 
table, well-run little place, and did a good business — 
this was in 1914. Then the Boche came, and the next 
time I saw it was in 1916, just after the Arras stunt. 
The people were gone, and the estaminet was some- 
what chipped — door gone, no glass in the windows, 
and a big hole in the roof, but the board still swung 
gaily in the same old breeze. Then the Boche came 
again, and the next time I saw the place was in 1918, 
just before we took Cambrai — the beginning of the 
end. This time what was left of the estaminet wasn't 



50 How to See the Battlefields 

worth talking about; but the particular bit of wall 
which supported that board in 1914 was still function- 
ing, and the board looked as fresh as ever. I passed 
it several times in as many weeks and it was still 
there, but one day, coming back from Cambrai, I 
looked up and it was not. Somebody " sooveneered " 
it, I suppose, for the bracket was bent downwards as 
if someone — standing possibly on the top of a lorry 
cab — had given it a good hard wrench. At any rate, 
it was gone, and I felt as if I'd lost an old friend. 
If this should meet the eye of the souvenir merchant 
I should very much like to have that board, as I 
should have taken it myself had he not forestalled 
me. 

Farther along the road, in the same village, there 
was a Hun " Kantine," the interior of which had been 
decorated by various Hun artists, and very well deco- 
rated too, if somewhat in the heavy and gloomy 
mailed-fist kind of style. Part of the " Kantine " was 
reserved for N.C.O.'s, and the remainder was open 
to the common or garden "cannon fodder." Liquid 
refreshment had apparently been plentiful, judging 
by the great heap of lager beer bottles outside the 
men's reservation, whilst the N.C.O.'s evidently 
emptied many a bottle of "Bols" gin and hock. 
Looted champagne and French wines having all been 
consumed long before, the Hun had to come down to 
the level once more and pay for his drink, which must 
have gone very much against the grain. 

In the very few villages which still retain some 
semblance of their original shape you can nearly 



The Somme and Cambrai 51 

always find one of these Boche canteens, and in some 
cases the interior walls have been really well deco- 
rated, and some quite good drawings in black chalk 
and colour may still be found, many of them quite 
ambitious efforts, taking up the whole wall on one 
side of the room. I don't think Fritz expected to be 
pushed out, or perhaps he wouldn't have gone to so 
much trouble. 

P^ronne marks the limit of our Somme pil- 
grimage, and to those who are motoring, and have a 
fast car, I can thoroughly recommend the long 
straight road which reaches from Longeau, just out- 
side Amiens, to Brie. This latter place is of interest 
from the fact that our Royal Engineers did some 
splendid bridging work there on the same day that 
we captured P^ronne. In less than twelve hours a 
fast-running stream was bridged and our infantry 
were enabled to cross the Somme — a really smart bit 
of work. This road is almost as straight as a line 
drawn with a ruler across the map, and, with the 
exception of one or two stretches, had an almost 
perfect surface, even during the war, in spite of the 
fact that the French used it as their main supply 
artery for a large section of the front. Convoys of 
supply lorries, miles in length, could be seen career- 
ing along the road in the early morning, at an average 
speed of well over eighteen miles per hour ; the dust 
was simply terrific, and the distance between each 
lorry was so small that one marvelled that bad 
smashes were not of more frequent occurrence. 

The best way to get to Brie is through Villers- 



52 How to See the Battlefields 

Carbonnel, which may be reached by following the 
river bank south as far as the main road, and then 
turning due east ; or what might be a more interesting 
route would be to go to Biaches — a place which 
proved a stumbling-block to the French infantry for 
a long time — and then, through Barleux, down on to 
the main road at Villers-Carbonnel, then dead straight 
for Amiens. 

During the fighting for Peronne some fine work 
was done by the French monitors on the Somme 
Canal. They used to creep along at night and take 
up positions in some secluded corner, and then blaze 
away with their heavy stuff at the Boche line in and 
around the town, much to the annoyance of the said 
Boche, who tried very hard to spot them, but failed. 
I met the skipper of one of these monitors one d|ay ; 
I was introduced to him by a certain Captain Rogers, 
of the Royal Engineers, who lived a very lonely life in 
a dug-out near Frise, then in the French Army area. 
Tough as they make 'em, Rogers had been a master 
mariner until war broke out — a big hefty Scotsman 
with a marvellous fund of dry humour. A born 
story-teller, he soon made himself known to the 
French troops in his vicinity, and rapidly became 
quite a character in the district. He spoke French 
with a good old Scots accent and, when presenting 
me to the French naval man, gravely informed me 
that he — the Frenchman — was a "bloke de la flotte." 
He also conceived the gorgeous idea of calling his 
shrapnel helmet a "battle bowler," and the way in 
which he could always produce a sample of the 



The Somme and Cambrai 53 

national beverage, even in the middle of a bad 
** strafe," was no less than miraculous. 



THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 

November, 191 7 

One of the most dramatic episodes of the whole 
war was, undoubtedly, the British attack on the town of 
Cambrai in November, 191 7, and the resultant enemy- 
counter attack, which deprived us of a very great 
deal of the ground we had gained by the first real 
surprise attack on a large scale which had been 
attempted and carried any distance forward. Cambrai 
was then, and had been ever since the opposing forces 
settled down to trench warfare proper, the main 
supply depot for the enemy forces on a very large 
part of the Western Front. A glance at the map will 
show the huge importance of the place from the 
supply centre point of view; excellent roads radiate 
from it in every direction, and the Arras — Cambrai 
road, a dead-straight run of 35 kilometres, used to be, 
before the war, one of the fastest stretches in France. 
This road then carries on through to Le Cateau and 
Landrecies, of Mons Retreat fame. 

All the country round here is sacred to the 
memory of the ''Old Contemptibles." 

The British line in front of Cambrai, after the first 
battle of the Somme, is shown roughly on a German 
map — which I have in front of me as I write — as 
running through Fontaine-les-CrbisilleS, Bullecourt, 
across the Lagincourt— Qu^ant road, then on over the 



54 How to See the Battlefields 

main Bapaume — Cambrai road to La Vacquerie. After 
General Byng's magnificent attack with tanks on 
November 20, by which he successfully broke the 
Hindenburg Line, it ran approximately from Bourlon 
Wood — a bitterly fought-for and extremely dangerous 
salient — through Masni^res, and then sank to Vend- 
huille. On November 30 the enemy made their power- 
ful counter attack, for which they had obviously been 
massing troops and guns for some days, and the full 
torrent of their advance broke through between the 
1 2th and 55th Divisions on the left and right re- 
spectively of Ravin Vingt Deux. The unfortunate 
i66th Brigade "fair got it in the neck," as one of the 
survivors of the 5th South Lanes, tersely put it. This 
battalion was, as a matter of fact, nearly wiped out, 
and all that remains to testify to the heroic resistance 
it put up is the number of wooden crosses scattered 
over the country-side. Although greatly reduced in 
strength, badly cut up and greatly outnumbered by 
the enemy, the gallant 55th Division re-formed their 
line and hung on like grim death to the new defence 
positions. The enemy here surrounded and cap- 
tured Villers-Guislan, but was held up there de- 
finitely so long as the line of resistance of the 55th 
Division could be maintained. In this attack the 
loth Liverpool Scottish and the 5th Royal Lancas- 
ters distinguished themselves by making the enemy 
pay a heavy toll for each yard he advanced, and 
worthily upheld the reputation of the i66th Brigade. 
While the 55th Division, on the right of Ravine 
22, was engaged in trying to stem the flow of the tide. 



The Somme and Cambrai 55 

its neighbour, the 12th Division, composed of the 
35th and 37th Brigades, was having an Homeric 
struggle with the enemy for the possession of the 
high ground and the Cambrai road, a part of the 
latter being stoutly held by some units of the 35th 
and 36th Brigades. It was during this part of the 
battle that Colonel Elliott Cooper attempted to rescue 
a party of the 8th Royal Fusiliers, which was all but 
surrounded. It was a magnificent attempt, and gained 
him the V.C. ; but, unfortunately, in winning it, he 
got his death blow. Another V.C. hero was Lieut. 
Wallace, of the 36th Battery, who, with a devoted 
band of three or four men, rained shells on to the 
advancing enemy to the very last moment. 

The rapid advance of the Germans was not 
stemmed at Villers-Guislan, however, and they en- 
tered Gonnelieu and even Gouzeaucourt, in the 
vicinity of which was the H.Q. of the 29th Division, 
under General De Lisle, whose splendid handling of 
this Division during the critical period of the battle 
was the subject of a special Order of the day by Sir 
Douglas Haig. 

An exceedingly interesting section of the Cambrai 
battlefield — I am now referring to a later phase of the 
war, just previous to the fall of this town on October 
9, 1918 — is the line Noyelles-sur-l'Escaut — Marcoing 
— Masnieres, and possibly extending to Cr^vecoeur. 
The road runs alongside the canal practically all 
the way, and there are bridges at all the places 
named, which I sincerely hope will be in better 
condition by the time this book appears than they 
E 



56 How to See the Battlefields 

were when I had to cross them last. An examination 
of this part of the Hne will satisfactorily convince the 
visitor that the town of Cambrai had sufficient defence 
in the way of natural fortifications even if the Hin- 
denburg and Drocourt — Queant lines had been non- 
existent. Its vulnerable side was to the north-west, 
which was thoroughly realised by the enemy, and^ 
hence the Queant system. is, 

An extensive examination of any of the more im- 
portant of the enemy defence systems will not be 
possible unless the visitor is blessed with unlimited 
time. The best way to gather some idea of the 
strength of these lines is to tap them at various points, 
preferably in such districts as Bullecourt and Fon- 
taine-les-Croisilles. It would also not be a bad idea 
to carry on from Combles after having inspected the 
northern part of the Somme battlefields. The most 
instructive route would be through Rancourt and St. 
Pierre Vaast Wood on to Manancourt, Nurlu, Fens au 
Gouzeaucourt, and thus either down to Villers-Guislan 
and Epehy, or north from Gouzeaucourt to La Vac- 
querie, crossing the railway at Villers Pluich, and 
then up through Ribecourt, Flesquiere and Gram- 
court-les-Havrincourt on to the sugar factory on the 
Romerstrasse, and so through Fontaine Notre Dame 
into Cambrai. A little to the north-east of the sugar 
factory lies Moeuvres — made famous by the little 
bunch of heroes of the Highland Light Infantry, 
whose exploits will go down to history. The story 
of how seven men stuck to their job is too well known 
to repeat here. I have no doubt that by the time this 



The Somme and Cambrai 57 

book appears the enterprising inhabitants of Cambrai, 
at least those who have returned, will have got things 
somewhat shipshape, and it is just possible that 
accommodation and refreshment of a kind may be 
obtainable. 

I have already mentioned that the Germans were 
great on internal house decorations by means of 
drawings and paintings, and one of them which I 
found on the wall of a house in Bus — a little village 
on the road from Sailly-Saillisel to Bertincourt — was 
an extremely good example of caricature. It occupied 
the whole of one wall, and depicted President Wilson 
as the Statue of Liberty brandishing an automatic 
pistol ; it may still be in existence for all I know to 
the contrary — at any rate, it was there just before the 
Armistice. 



SECTION IV 
St. Quentin — Roye — No yon 

MoNTDiDiER, which lies some little distance S.S.E. of 
Amiens, would have made an ideal centre from which 
to explore the towns of Roye, Nesle, St. Quentin, 
Chauny, and Noyon ; but I fear that the German 
bombardment of the place in 1918, and our own 
answer after we evacuated it, will have caused too 
much damage to enable it to be made habitable after so 
short a period. Amiens, then, is the next best place, 
and when all is said and done there is but a difference 
of about ten kilometres between them, and Montdidier 
can be taken later when the visit to Compi^gne and 
Soissons is tackled. 

The best route from Amiens to St. Quentin is 
along the straight road through Brie, Estr^es-en- 
Chausee, and Vermand, and then through the 
northern part of Holnon Wood into the town. Those 
who have already passed along the Amiens — Peronne 
road — as recommended in an earlier chapter describ- 
ing the Peronne district — are advised to take the same 
road as far as Villers-Bretonneux — sacred to the 
Australians — and Abancourt. A short distance 
farther along will be seen a turning to the right, with 
a signpost pointing to Baynevillers, Harbonni^res, 
Lihons, and Chaulnes. The last-mentioned place 
was taken by the British in the "Hindenburg Re- 

58 



St. Quentin— Roye— Noyon 59 

treat " in March, 1917, on the same day that Bapaume 
was captured. During the Somme battle in Septem- 
ber, 1916, whilst the British troops were busy moving 
on Combles the French were very heavily engaged on 
a front about fourteen miles from Barleux, just north 
of Villers-Carbonnel, to Chilly, south of Chaulnes 
and Lihons. A general engagement was fought, which 
resulted in our Allies capturing a large number of 
prisoners, material and guns. 

Instead of going straight from Chaulnes to Roye, 
I should advise a detour through Lihons, Rosi^res, 
Vr^ly, Warvillers to Bouchoir, where the road joins 
up with the main Amiens — Roye road. Bouchoir, I 
remember well in 1914; it had been badly knocked 
about even in those early days of the war. One soli- 
tary inhabitant remained in the village — an old man, 
apparently about seventy years of age. He was abso- 
lutely dazed, sitting amidst the ruins of his farm- 
house, and all that he could say in answer to ques- 
tions was, that there had been a *'big battle at the 
cross-roads, and that everybody had been killed." At 
the same cross-roads, two days before, a large farm- 
house had been razed to the ground by shell-fire, and 
two of the unfortunate inhabitants were killed in one 
of the front rooms of the house; their feet could be 
seen sticking out from under the debris. 

Just in front of this farm I saw a most extra- 
ordinary thing happen — a French Dragoon officer 
cantering across the road was hit by a shell (a direct 
hit), and both he and his horse simply vanished from 
my gaze with a loud bang and a cloud of grey-green 



6o How to see the Battlefields 

smoke, and all that could be found afterwards 
was a piece of saddle blanket and part of the 
horse's head with the bit still in its mouth. It was 
a most convincing demonstration of the power of 
modern high explosives. 

From Bouchoir the road leads straight into Roye, 
and, if I remember rightly, is pretty bumpy, the pave 
being bad and narrow, and the soft mud at the side 
almost like a bog in bad weather. 

Roye is another town which got badly knocked 
about in 1914, and then became a comparatively un- 
important place until the German offensive of 1918. 
It was quite a pretty little town, and when, in com- 
pany with two other correspondents, I passed 
through in the very early days of the war — about 
twenty-four hours after the Huns had evacuated the 
place — we all three got a tremendous reception from 
some people in a cafe when we pulled up to try and 
"scrounge " an omelette, a bo_ttle of wine, and a few 
apples. These good people loaded up the car with 
provisions for a month — almost. Strangely enough I 
passed through the place during the 1918 retreat, and 
repeated the performance; the same people w/ere 
there. I hope that caf6 is still standing ; the name has 
slipped my memory, but it is in a street just off the 
square and not very far away from what is left of the 
church. It was near Roye, in September, 1914, that 
the enemy lost a lot of brand-new motor transport 
lorries; one of them was left stranded in the middle 
of the green in the town, and was a great source of 
delight to the French kiddies, who clambered all over 



62 How to See the Battlefields 

it, tooted the horn, and generally had the time of 
their lives. 

Leaving Roye by the Nesle road and passing 
through Carrepuis and Rethonvillers, a short dis- 
tance farther on takes us into the town of Nesle, 
uninteresting except for the fact that it once was a 
British Army Headquarters at the time of the big 
enemy offensive in 19 18. Passing from Nesle through 
Eppeville on to the main Ham — Noyon road and turn- 
ing sharp north at Eppeville we get into Ham. This 
town was one of the principal Boche objectives during 
the initial stage of the March 21 break-through. Its 
importance during the war lay in the fact that it was 
a large railhead, both for rations and ammunition, 
and had served this purpose for the enemy when 
previously in their possession. So far as Tommy 
Atkins is concerned, Ham was chiefly noted for the 
fact that, provided a lorry could be requisitioned, 
quite good beer — in barrels — could be obtained from 
the local brewery; an inestimable blessing to men 
down the line for a rest. There was also, if I re- 
member rightly, a branch of the E.F.C. in operation. 

The town of Ham was entered by the German 
cavalry on or about the evening of March 23. Very 
little has been heard of the splendid work of General 
Seely's Canadian Cavalry, the officers and men of 
which fought so gallantly in their endeavour to save 
the town. They charged the enemy so viciously that 
they drove them out of the place time after time — to 
fall back again and again with grievously thinned 
ranks, owing to lack of support. These gallant 



St. Quentin— Roye— Noyon 63 

Canadian troopers did great execution with the sword, 
and when the enemy infantry tried to hide in dug- 
outs and places into which a man on horseback could 
not enter, the Canadians dismounted and followed 
them on foot, sword in hand. 

There is a good road to St. Quentin from Ham, 
which passes to the left of the village of Aubigny, 
and it would be worth while to go through this place 
to Tugny, and have a look at the bridgehead which 
was so gallantly defended by a brigade of the 20th 
Division during the rearguard action on March 22, 
1918. From Tugny to Happencourt is but a short 
distance, and a little farther brings us to the bridge 
across the Crozat Canal and into Grand Seracourt. 
Thence going due east we get to Essigny-le-Grand 
and then north-east to Urvillers. From captured 
enemy orders and from the statements of prisoners it 
is known that the enemy plan for the first day's ad- 
vance in the 1918 offensive was to occupy the line of 
the Crozat Canal, and, having by that time badly 
broken the British line, to make a rapid westward 
advance day by day. During this particular period 
of the offensive fog was very prevalent, and although 
this undoubtedly hampered the defence, owing to the 
fact that masses of enemy infantry would appear out 
of the mist at about twenty or thirty yards' range, 
yet there is also ample reason to believe that great con- 
fusion reigned in the Hun lines, many fairly large 
parties getting lost and cut off, as well as severely cut 
up, by our troops. 

The line in the St. Quentin sector on the opening 



64 How to See the Battlefields 

day of the March 21 attack ran from in front of St. 
Quentin, south-east midway between Urvillers and 
Itancourt — this latter place being in the enemy's 
hands and Urvillers in ours — down to Moy, which 
was occupied by the British. 

The full force of the attack south of St. Quentin 
developed on that particular part of the line of which 
Urvillers was the centre, and was directed on this 
place and on to Essigny-le-Grand. From this latter 
place a road runs to Benay, and then east to Cerizy, 
where it joins the St. Quentin — La F^re main road 
through Vendeuil, passing Travecy and following the 
line of the Crozat Canal and the twisty Oise into 
La F^re. It was on this sector that our London men 
put up such a good fight — Surreys and Kents, Rifle 
Brigade and London Regiment. Men of the good old 
58th Division, in company with men of the i8th 
Division, fought desperately to stem the huge wave 
of Boche "cannon fodder." If it had only been a 
matter of two to one, the enemy would never have 
passed, but the odds were very much heavier than 
that, and their reserves, apparently, inexhaust- 
ible. Wave after wave of storm troops poured over 
our positions, and the inevitable happened; we had 
to fall back, but not without inflicting a much heavier 
loss and a much more serious check than was antici- 
pated by the Imperial Staff. 

From La F^re we go on to Fargniers and Tergnier 
and then to Chauny through Viny, hugging the rail- 
way line and the west bank of the canal. Chauny, 
when I saw it in February, 19 18, was then very badly 




THE MAl-l A CO . LTD . LONUO> 



66 How to See the Battlefields 

smashed up and was absolutely lifeless and desolate. 
An odd French soldier or two of the genie, or engi- 
neers — the equivalent of our own Royal Engineers — 
were the only signs of life in the place. One or two 
camouflaged motor-boats and barges on the canal 
showed that a certain amount of activity took place 
at night, but there was nothing doing in the daytime. 

This town — which before the war had a population 
of some 10,000 inhabitants — must have been a very 
pretty place, and it was pitiful to view the destruction 
and desolation which war had effected. I should 
think a good 50 per cent, of the houses had been 
destroyed by mines. As in many other places, when 
the Germans evacuated Chauny, they took with them 
all the young girls and boys to work in their factories 
beyond the Rhine. Chauny is well worth seeing. 

To Noyon — through Ognes and passing Baboeuf 
off to the right of the road — the going is quite good, 
though the surroundings are somewhat uninteresting. 
It would be almost better to cross the canal and river 
just south of Chauny, and, following the south bank 
of the river through Manicamp, Quierzy and Bre- 
tigny, strike the Noyon road at a point just south- 
east of Pontoise. Thence, crossing the Oise river, 
the canal and the railway, it is a straight run into the 
quaint old town of Charlemagne, with its historic 
Hotel de Ville. The beautiful cathedral and cloisters 
have been badly damaged by fire, whether irretriev- 
ably so or not I do not know, as I have not been able 
to get back there since the hurried evacuation of the 
place on the night of March 25, 1918. 



St. Quentin— Roye— Noyon 67 

During the advance on Noyon from the two direc- 
tions of Guiscard and Chauny heavy fighting took 
place in the neighbourhood of Baboeuf, which village, 
having been overrun by the enemy, was recaptured by 
a brilliant counter-attack, carried out by troops of the 
i8th Division, in which they took 150 prisoners. 
Marshal Haig's dispatch in connection with the with- 
drawal on this section of the front clearly emphasised 
the fact that we were very greatly handicapped by the 
shortage of men ; but I do not think that anybody who 
did not take part in the withdrawal from the Ham, 
Guiscard and Noyon region has any conception of the 
actual facts. 

On the afternoon of March 23' I was located with 
part of my unit in the barracks at Noyon (incidentally 
this barracks had been burnt out by the Germans 
when they retreated a year previously, and there was 
nothing left but the bare walls). Headquarters had 
received orders to retire to Montdidier ; all sorts of 
rumours were afloat that Ham had been captured, 
Guiscard had fallen, and that the Hun was advancing 
rapidly on Noyon. This disquieting news was to a 
certain extent supported by the sight of several bat- 
teries of French 75 's entering Noyon from the direc- 
tion of Guiscard. As I had a considerable amount of 
material to move and things were, apparently, getting 
serious, I conferred with the onjy other officer present 
— an Australian named Finley — and we decided that, 
as it seemed quite impossible to obtain any reliable 
news from anybody, the only course open to us was 
to scout out the position for ourselves. We got hold 



68 How to See the Battlefields 

of an old closed car that would have made a good 
hearse but was little good for anything else, and was 
nicknamed **the hutch," usually with the addition of 
an adjective, and proceeded shortly after midnight 
slowly and carefully up the Guiscard road. The night 
was beautifully clear with a bright moon ; but there 
was a certain amount of ground fog and an extremely 
ominous silence. Not a gun could be heard, nor did 
we meet a soul until near the outskirts of Guiscard; 
then we saw a few — a very few — French infantry lying 
about at the side of the road. After a halt in Guiscard 
— which had been evacuated — and a good look round 
the now deserted site of a Heavy Artillery Siege Park, 
just to see if there was anything worth "scrounging " 
(there was, and Finley can tell you all about it), a 
move was made up the road in the direction of Ham. 
Still the dead silence, broken every now and then by 
the long-drawn-out and echoing boom of a very dis- 
tant gun ; still no signs of troops, until, some four or 
five miles out of Guiscard, the car was pulled up 
suddenly, and a tin-hatted infantry major shoved his 
head into the window and said : 

"Where the do you think you're going — 

eh?" 

Finley and I explained as concisely as possible 
that we were tracking some lost transport, this be- 
ing the best excuse we could manufacture at short 
notice. 

"Well — if you'll just take my advice, boys, you'll 
turn round and get back as fast as you can ; this is 
the front line you're just crossing ! " said the major, 



St. Quentin— Roye— Noyon 69 

pointing first to one side of the road and then the 
other. 

Getting down out of the car, we looked and saw 
a thin Hne of tired-out men stretching away in a sort 
of dark irregular curve at right angles to the road 
on both sides, with rifles resting on a natural parapet, 
where one field finished at a somewhat higher level 
than the other, and with machine-guns in position. 
A long line of dead-silent, dead-tired British infantry- 
men, dozing with their cheeks caressing their rifle- 
butts, prone on the ground, many of them actually 
sound asleep in the first rest they had had for many 
hours, yet ready on the instant to pour a withering 
hail of lead into the approaching enemy. In front the 
slightly undulating, fog-beshrouded, mysteriously 
silent No Man's Land; no wire, no trenches — just the 
thin khaki line of dead-tired men. I looked at Finley, 
and he put my thoughts into words : 

''If this is all weVe got to hold up a few million 
Boches, I think the sooner we get back to Noyon and 
pack up the better." 

By this time a machine-gun officer had joined us, 
and I well remember the four of us standing there in 
the middle of the road talking about leave, of the 
rapidly deteriorating quality of E.F.C., whisky, and 
George Robey's latest gag at the Alhambra — any- 
thing but the war. Then suddenly realising that the 
position was one which might liven up at any moment 
our driver was instructed to turn the car round. This 
he did, going out into No Man's Land to do so, and, 
bidding our new friends good night and good luck, 



70 How to See the Battlefields 

we made our way back, thoroughly agreed that what 
we had seen was enough to show us that a retreat was 
inevitable ; and so it happened. 

The following night, about midnight, in what was 
called the "officers' club " in Noyon, whom should I 
meet but our friend the machine-gun officer. He was 
very tired, had had a rough time, the major had been 
killed, the men had put up a splendid scrap, but . . . 
He went to sleep with his head on his hands on the 
table, and when we found him some food fell asleep 
again two or three times whilst eating it. 

In the meantime, guns and howitzers, large and 
small — what was left of them — were blocking up the 
roads leading from Guiscard and Chauny into Noyon, 
and gunner officers were trying their utmost to evolve 
order out of the chaos ; collecting stray personnel and 
ordnance, making up one battery out of the remains 
of two or three, and getting ready for the stand which 
everybody wondered had not taken place before. One 
thing the Germans taught us which will not be for- 
gotten in a hurry, and that is — heavy ordnance, any- 
thing bigger than a field gun, is utterly useless in a 
retreat, however useful it may be, and undoubtedly 
is, in an advance. 

Historically, Noyon is a celebrated place ; for here 
Charlemagne was crowned, Calvin (the Protestant) 
first saw the light, and Hugh Capet was made king. 

Almost due north leading out of the town is the 
road to Guiscard and Ham, and on the right-hand side 
of the road, opposite the wall which surrounds the 
cavalry barracks — already mentioned — will be found 



St. Quentin— Roye— Noyon 71 

a very substantially stone-built enclosure, a Hun 
graveyard, inside of which may be found some fine 
specimens of the stonemason's art. One thing the 
Germans never failed to do, and that was to pay due 
honour to the fallen. Massive and ornate monuments 
were numerous in all his cemeteries behind the line. 
No doubt it was part of a well-thought plan, cal- 
culated to make the soldier feel what a great man he 
was — even when dead. It was also the fact — at least 
so far as my own observation goes — that the enemy 
treated the dead of any nation with the same respect 
as his own. I have seen many of these cemeteries, and 
have been struck with this fact again and again. 

Another cemetery — French this time — may be 
found on the left-hand side of the Rue de Lille ; one 
corner of it is reserved for French coloured troops, as 
the queer inscriptions on the headstones will testify. 

Leaving the town by the Compi^gne road, we 
travel south for a very short distance, and then turn 
off to the right, where the signpost shows Lassigny to 
be a comparatively short run of some thirteen kilo- 
metres. The road runs through territory which has 
seen many stiff fights. Larbroye is the first village 
to be entered, then Suzoy, Cuy, and through Dives 
into the town. 

It was in the region of Lassigny in September, 
1914, that some very heavy fighting took place 
between the French and Germans, and after the place 
was captured — so runs an account in Le Matin — some 
officers made a thorough examination of a chateau 
which had for a long time been in the hands of a 

F 



72 How to See the Battlefields 

member of the German Diplomatic Corps and which 
was noted for its numerous lawn-tennis courts. These 
courts were, as a matter of fact, covering very solidly- 
built concrete gun emplacements, ideally situated to 
command the surrounding country with heavy 
howitzer or gunfire; another example of German 
thoroughness which failed to mature. 

The French, under General Castlenau, fought un- 
ceasingly in this district from September 25, 1914, 
until almost the end of the month, and w^ere eventually 
driven back by very much heavier forces which the 
enemy, alarmed by the threat to their St. Quentin line 
of communication, had brought to bear in order to 
make a determined effort to stem the French advance. 
It was during the rearguard fighting after October i 
that the French, by a brilliantly executed strategical 
movement, ambushed a large enemy force, inflicting 
very heavy casualties and securing between 750 and 
800 prisoners. I believe the German report classified 
this action as a "glorious victory"; if so, then the 
action which took place a few days later must have 
been even more so, for between Chaulnes and Roye 
the French added another 1,600 prisoners to their 
bag. 

All the country round about this district is very 
interesting and well worthy of study, for Lassigny was 
in the front line for many moons. The track of the 
war can easily be followed up from Lassigny through 
Fresnieres, Crapeaumesnil, Beauvraignes, Popin- 
court, Laucourt', I'Echelle-St.-Aurin, Andechy, and 
so on through Maucourt and Chilly to Lihons and 



St. Quentin— Roye—Noyon 73 

Chaulnes. During the Battle of the Somme in Sep- 
tember, 1916, the French were held up south of the 
Brie — Amiens road by strong enemy positions in 
Chaulnes Wood. This place was only captured after 
very determined and bloodthirsty attacks and counter- 
attacks, the severity of which is obvious by the 
numerous graves in the vicinity, and the strength of 
the enemy strong points is easily to be seen if the 
visitor likes to do a little exploring on foot. 

One little bit of advice to those who *'footslog" 
amongst undergrowth in any of these woods or in any 
place over which heavy fighting has taken place and 
which is heavily overgrown by grass : Wear a good 
pair of heavy boots and leggings that will resist the 
possible scratches from hidden strands of rusty barbed 
wire. In these places it is a matter of ''watch your 
step." There are many thousands of old unexploded 
hand-grenades still lying about in the undergrowth, 
and some of them, owing to the fact that the pins are 
almost rusted through, may go off at a touch. I do 
not say they all will explode so easily ; the later types 
are comparatively safe even when handled; but it is 
always better to be on the safe side, and anything of 
an explosive nature should not be touched. Do not 
poke suspicious-looking, or even unsuspicious-look- 
ing, objects with your stick or you might finish your 
tour sooner than you expect and cause the authorities 
quite a lot of trouble detaching your remains from the 
surrounding district for burial purposes. This may 
sound funny, but it's good advice for all that. 

Whilst on the subject of ''duds," I once saw in 



74 How to See the Battlefields 

Bucquoy two or three bright specimens of that incom- 
parable creature, the "Chink" Labour Corps man, 
who had just finished building an oven in the side of 
the road out of such-like materials as fully-fused Boche 
4.2 howitzer shells. The grating under which the fire 
was going to be started was composed of 77 mm. 
field-gun shells with cartridge-case complete. I 
caught them just as they were breaking up some of the 
basket shell-containers to use as kindling, and hur- 
riedly sought out the British N.C.O in charge. He 
considered that the best remedy would be for him to 
withdraw all the other Chinks in the vicinity to a safe 
distance, take up some point of vantage from which 
the proceedings could be viewed, and await results. 
He told me quite candidly that he had found that 
example was much better than precept when dealing 
with Chinese labour. 



SECTION V 
Montdidier — Compi^gne — Soissons 

The town of Montdidier, which marked the finish of 
the German advance after the Flanders offensive in 
1918, is a Httle over 30 kilometres from Amiens, along 
a picturesque road which, after passing through Pierre- 
pont — going north — follows the eastern bank of the 
Avre into Moreuil, and then up to Boves; a little 
farther on the road runs into the main Amiens — Roye 
highway, just short of Longeau, and then direct into 
Amiens. Montdidier could be taken in on the return 
journey to Amiens from Roye or Lassigny, if the 
traveller has time. There is nothing much to see in 
the place, and it has been badly knocked about — 
mostly, I believe, by the Allied artillery, just before 
the town was retaken when our 19 18 advance started. 
My own recollections of the place are not particularly 
pleasant, possibly owing to the fact that I arrived — 
with the bits — after the hurried evacuation of Noyon, 
at the hour of three in the morning, very hungry, 
deadly tired, and somewhat dispirited at the constant 
retreating, to find that there was nothing to eat and 
drink, and not even a blanket to be obtained. I found 
my Headquarters billeted at the Chateau, and every 
bed bagged. Not that I had expected to find even a 
bed there ; but when I peeped into one or two of the 
rooms and saw various members of the gilded Staff 

75 



76 How to See the Battlefields 

snoring luxuriously under eiderdowns — well — it did 
make one feel rather envious. However, I slept quite 
soundly on the floor of the corridor, and was awakened 
a few hours later by someone falling over me and 
using language of a most ungentlemanly kind, to 
which I replied suitably. 

The one hotel in the place which looked like an 
hotel was pretty rotten, for it was impossible to get 
anything to eat there unless one got it for oneself, 
and even then the proprietor was not as pleasant as 
he might have been. Montdidier was evacuated 
shortly after that, and then a few of us took the matter 
in hand and managed to get a respectable meal to- 
gether out of the debris. 

The extreme point west of Montdidier reached by 
the enemy on May 8, 1918, is given on a German 
map which I have before me, and shows their line, 
just east of the village of Cantigny, slightly west of 
Fontaine, and running through Alesnil-St. Georges. 
It then bends eastwards, cutting the railway midway 
between the town and Ayencourt village. Thus far 
did they come, but no farther, and they remained and 
dug themselves in until the beginning of the end. 
This line of defences can be followed down through 
Assanvillers to Rollat, where we leave it to cross the 
St. Just — Roye main road, and so on to Cuvilly and 
Ressons, and then through Marqueglise and across 
the Oise into the Foret-de-Laigue to Choisu-au-Bac ; 
from there along the north-west corner of the Foret- 
de-Compi^gne into the town itself. 

The route I have mapped out is not the most direct, 



AMIENS 



so in 



Longeau 



Boves 




Moreuil 




'Pierrepont 



Camigny v^^/fA^lrnlm 

Fontaine*v ^y^''^'^' 



st.Georges 
Ayencourt 



Rosi'eres 



Scale i. 




st.jusr 

MONTDIDIER- COMPIEGN E ' 
SOISSONS. 

Mam Roads === 

Secondary ■■ 

/^a// ways 

Ca/73/s 



5 Miles 



THE MAPPA CO . LTD., LONUON 



78 How to See the Battlefields 

by any means, but it is certainly the most interesting. 
Strong as the enemy were in 1918, their strength was 
not enough to enable them to reach Compi^gne, the 
fall of which place would have been more or less 
of a disaster. In September, 1914, in the thickly 
wooded country to the south of Compi^gne, the ist 
Cavalry Brigade was overtaken by some German 
cavalry, and lost a battery of horse artillery, as well 
as several officers and men killed and wounded. 
Aided by some detachments of the 3rd Corps, which 
was operating on their left, they made a brilliant 
counter-attack, and not only recovered all their own 
guns, but succeeded in capturing twelve of the 
enemy's. 

In connection with the fighting in the region of 
Compi^gne, I cannot do better than quote an account 
given by a wounded soldier, which appeared in the 
London Evening News : 

"We were in a field when the Germans dropped 
on us all of a sudden. The first hint we had of their 
presence was when a battery of guns on the right sang 
out, dropping shells into a mob of us who were wait- 
ing for our turns at the wash-tub — the river. There was 
no panic as far as I saw, only some of our fellows, 
who hadn't had a wash for a long time, said strong 
things about the Germans for spoiling the best chance 
we'd had for four days. We all ran to our posts in 
response to bugles which rang out all along the line, 
and by the time we all stood to arms the German 
cavalry came into view in great strength all along the 
left front. As soon as they came within range we 



Montdidier— Compiegne—Soissons 79 

poured a deadly volley into them, emptying saddles 
right and left, and they scattered in all directions. 
Meanwhile their artillery kept working up closer on 
the front and right, and a dark cloud of infantry 
showed out against the sky-line on our front, advanc- 
ing in a formation rather loose for the Germans. We 
opened fire on them, and they made a fine target for 
our rifle fire, which was very well supported by 
our artillery. The fire from our guns was very 
effective, the range being found with ease, and we 
could see the shells dropping right into the enemy's 
ranks. Here and there their lines began to waver and 
give way, and finally they disappeared. Half an hour 
later more infantry appeared on our right front, but 
we could not say whether it was the same body or not. 
This time they were well supported by artillery, 
machine-guns, and strong forces of cavalry on both 
flanks. All came on at a smart pace, with the ap- 
parent plan of seizing a hill on their right. At the 
same moment our cavalry came into view, and then 
the whole Guards Brigade advanced. It was really 
a race between the two parties to reach the hill first, 
but the Germans won easily owing to their being 
nearer by half a mile. 

"As soon as their guns and infantry had taken up 
position, the cavalry came along in a huge mass with 
the intention of riding down the Irish Guards, who 
were nearest to them. When the shock came it seemed 
terrific to us in the distance, for the Irishmen didn't 
recoil in the least, but flung themselves right across 
the path of the German horsemen. We could hear 



8o How to See the Battlefields 

the crack of the rifles and see the German horses 
impaled on the bayonets of the front ranks of the 
Guardsmen ; then the whole force of infantry and 
cavalry were mixed up in one confused heap, like so 
many pieces from a jig-saw puzzle. Shells from the 
British and German batteries kept dropping close to 
the tangled mass of fighting men, and then we saw the 
German horsemen get clear and take to flight as fast 
as their horses could carry them. Some had no 
horses ; they were bayoneted where they stood. While 
this was going on there was a confused movement 
among the German infantry, as though they were 
going to the assistance of the cavalry, but evidently 
they did not like the look of things, for they stayed 
where they were. After this little interruption the 
Guards continued to advance — the Coldstreamers 
leading this time, with the Scots in reserve, and the 
Irish in support. Taking advantage of the fight be- 
tween the cavalry and the infantry, the German 
artillery had advanced to a new position, from which 
they kept up a deadly fire from twelve guns. Our 
infantry and cavalry advanced simultaneously against 
this new position, which they carried together in the 
face of a galling fire. In the excitement the enemy 
managed to get away two of their guns, but the re- 
mainder fell into our hands. The infantry and the 
cavalry supporting the guns didn't wait for the on- 
slaught of our men, but bolted like mad, pursued by 
our cavalry, and galled by a heavy fire from our 
infantry and artillery, which quickly found the range. 
We heard later that the Germans were in very great 



Montdidier— Compiegne— Soissons 8i 

force, and had attacked in the hope of driving us back 
and so uncovering the French left, but they got more 
than they bargained for. Their losses were terrible 
in what little of the fighting we saw, and when our 
men captured the guns, there was hardly a German 
left alive or unwounded. Altogether the fight lasted 
seven hours, and when it was over our cavalry scouts 
reported that the enemy was in retreat." 

This very interesting letter apparently refers to the 
action of Sept. i, which I have already mentioned, 
but the gallant guardsman who wrote it is two short 
in his account of the number of guns taken, for we 
must take Sir John French's dispatch of Sept. 17, 
1914, as correct. In this he definitely states that 
twelve guns were captured. 

The Forest of Compiegne is well worthy of a pro- 
longed tour of inspection, but as this section of the 
book is dealing also with the battlegrounds more to 
the east, possibly we had better take the road out of 
the town which cuts through the neck of wooded 
country joining the Forest of Laigue to the Forest of 
Compiegne. The road runs south of the River Aisne, 
and the first place of any size we reach is Attichy — 
which is across the river. Here will be found some 
relics of the past in the shape of destroyed bridges 
and signs of the task the R.E.'s had when they 
bridged the river under heavy fire from the northern 
banks. From Attichy to Vic-sur-Aisne, another 
memory of 1914, is but a short distance. Here the 
river is crossed again, and we come on to the Com- 
piegne — Soissons road at La Vache Noire. I re- 



82 How to See the Battlefields 

commend the detour through Attichy and Vic-sur- 
Aisne owing to the fact that the river crossings in both 
places were the scenes of some violent fighting, and a 
good idea will be gained of the great difficulties with 
which our troops were faced when these crossings 
were forced. 

The road on to Soissons is a good one, and on both 
sides of it will be seen old French encampments, 
dumps, and visible evidence of the huge back-area 
organisation which is necessary in these days of 
modern warfare. Some little distance before getting 
into Soissons a signpost will be seen on the left-hand 
side of the road, which shows the way to Pommiers. 
About three hundred yards down this side road there 
used to be a huge dump of captured war material 
covering about thirty acres. Here could be seen guns, 
howitzers, tanks, enemy steel helmets by the thou- 
sands, and many hundred suits of the special 
toughened steel armour which was provided for the 
storm troops. Ammunition was here in huge quan- 
tities — anything from the largest-sized howitzer shell 
to small arms and automatic pistol cartridges. 

A most charming artillery captain was in charge 
of the place, and he had arranged what he called his 
museum, in which, carefully numbered and labelled, 
could be found a specimen of every deadly weapon of 
warfare which the Boche had ever produced, with the 
exception of field-pieces, of course, which were 
parked outside; a most interesting exposition, and 
one which I hope is still there. It is certainly worth 
while to make a short detour to find out if the exhibits 



84 How to See the Battlefields 

are still on view. The entrance to the park was on 
the right-hand side of the Pommiers road, and it is 
too big to be missed if now in existence. 

But a stone's-throw from the Pommiers turning is 
Soissons — another of the many monuments to Kultur, 
I first saw this town in September, 1914, and even 
then the splendid old cathedral had been very badly 
smashed, and very few of the streets had escaped the 
torrent of shells which the enemy rained into the 
town. Many houses were burnt in these early days, 
and the large chapel on the north side of the cathedral 
was absolutely destroyed, and although the east 
window remains — or remained when I saw the cathe- 
dral last — it has been very badly damaged. Needless 
to say all the fine stained glass has vanished long ago, 
shattered into dust. The Germans knew their Soissons 
well, and their gunfire was extraordinarily accurate, 
the barracks being completely wiped out early in the 
bombardment. It is said that several spies had been 
arrested, and this possibly accounts for the accuracy 
of the German gunfire. 

In the Boulevard Jeanne d'Arc, in which might 
have been found most of the better-class residences, 
hardly a house remains standing. In 1914 some of 
these houses presented curious sights, one in par- 
ticular had had the whole front destroyed and was 
standing open to the street from ground to attics, juot 
like one of those big sectioned doll's houses which are 
to be seen in toyshop windows. All the furniture was 
in position, and bedrooms, drawing-room and dining- 
room were all apparently untouched as regards the 



Montdidier— Compiegne— Soissons 85 

interior. The sight would have been comical if it 
had not been so pathetic. 

Soissons has been an unfortunate town. It 
suffered greatly in 1870, when the old abbey church 
of St. Jean was damaged, though not so badly as it 
was in 19 14, when a large shell partially demolished 
one of the graceful spires. Several bridges over the 
river were destroyed by the Germans when they 
evacuated the town, though one was left in an almost 
usable condition owing to the failure of certain 
charges to explode, which shows that the enemy made 
a rather hurried exit. In spite of the proximity of the 
town to the line, many of the shops still continued to 
trade, in which respect it was like Bethune. The in- 
habitants became accustomed to and were able to time 
the occasional "hates " to which the place was subject 
from time to time. Soissons invariably was shelled 
after a German reverse, and when the populace began 
to realise this fact the occasions on which shells landed 
in the town, though inconvenient and causing a 
general retirement to the cellars, more often than not 
provided cause for a certain amount of jubilation. 
The *' Hotel of the Red Lion " provided a good meal 
and good wine during the greater part of the war; 
the prices charged were also quite moderate, extra- 
ordinarily so, indeed, when one considers the risks 
taken by those who stayed behind to serve, and the 
very real difficulty of obtaining supplies. 

It was in Soissons in 19 18 that I first saw our 
American Allies, steel-helmeted men on traffic control 
duty at the cross streets. Two or three of us halted 



86 How to See the Battlefields 

at ''The Red Lion" for lunch; the party included a 
colonel, with a goodly selection of ribbons on his 
manly bosom. In the dining-room, thoughtfully 
wielding a toothpick and straddling a chair, arms 
rested on the back, was a large American officer, who 
stared at us all in turn with great persistence for full 
five minutes; then — suddenly making up his mind 
and pocketing his toothpick — he slouched over in a 
leisurely manner and gave us good day : 

"Say now — I guess you'll be English officers — am 
I right ? " 

We pleaded guilty. He examined us all thought- 
fully once more, and halted at the colonel: "Now 
jest what rank might you be, sir ? " 

"I'm a colonel." " Uh-hum," still thoughtfully— 
"and what might that coloured chart mean ? " queried 
our still inquisitive acquaintance, pointing to the 
medal ribbons on the colonel's breast. The various 
ribbons were explained in detail — although the wearer 
was rather taken aback by the "coloured chart" 
designation — and our American gave us each another 
thoughtful inspection, remarked that it was a "peace- 
ful sort of war at present," and finished up with, "I 
thank you vurry much gentlemen — good day," before 
he went off. 

An examination of the German defence systems 
north of Soissons and the Aisne is well worth while, 
and one of the best routes is the Coucy-le-Chiteau 
road, which crosses the old trench lines between 
Crouy and Cuffies, then east to Clamecy, Villers, 
Nouvron-Chevillecourt, and Autreches. These places 



Montdidier— Compiegne— Soissons 87 

I have mentioned were right in the Hne, and possibly 
all that remains to identify any of these villages is a 
board with the name painted upon it. Desolation and 
devastation reigns supreme, and the French soldiers 
have fought and died in their thousands in this 
region. All the immediate front-line area in this dis- 
trict ought to be done on foot, as it will be found 
impossible to examine it thoroughly otherwise, and 
there is much to be seen — and missed — here. 
It should always be remembered that the most im- 
portant defences, as well as the most interesting, are 
usually invisible until one gets close to them. On 
their invisibility to the enemy depended both their 
importance and efficiency. 

Some wondrous underground caverns and dug- 
out systems will be found on this particular section of 
the front. One place I well remember w^as a huge 
underground quarry, which had been developed by 
the enemy until it was capable of housing a whole 
division complete with transport. Officers' quarters, 
N.C.O.'s and men's quarters, and officers' stables, 
kitchens, every imaginable kind of accommodation 
had been hewn out of the solid rock. Many thousands 
of beds, complete with mattresses, were still there, 
and were miuch appreciated by the Allied troops when 
the place was captured. Water was laid on, and there 
was a complete electric-power plant, which enabled 
every section of this enormous underground hostel to 
be illuminated by electric light. Il must have cost the 
German taxpayer a great deal of money — and all for 
nothing ! 



88 How to See the Battlefields 

Places like this are worth seeing, and I don't 
suppose for a moment that the tourist will be allowed 
to miss them if he — or she — is in the district, for by 
now the thrifty French peasantry will be back again 
on their land, and well aware of the value of these 
relics of the war as show-pjaces. Nor would I grudge 
them a franc or two; they have five very lean years 
to make up for, even after their houses are rebuilt 
and their farms once more are bearing crops. 

As in the majority of districts adjacent to the 
battle areas, main roads in France and Flanders will 
be found in comparatively good condition ; many 
secondary roads also are not too bad. Care should be 
taken, however, with secondary or tertiary roads 
which cross the old trench lines, as some of them are 
still almost impassable, and motorists should bear 
this in mind when darkness comes on, or it is likely 
there may be a few broken springs, cracked frames, 
and ruined tyres. It is is always advisable to carry 
enough petrol and oil to last for a considerable time — 
by that I mean plenty and to spare for the journey 
there and back, whatever the day's plan may be, as 
it will be difficult to obtain supplies in any of the 
devastated districts. The same, naturally, applies to 
photographic plates and films, for I suppose the 
majority of tourists will want a photographic record 
of the trip. It is, indeed, a great pity that the British 
troops were not allowed to use cameras during the 
war, as no amount of imagination can picture some 
of the places or the conditions under which our troops 
worked and fought. 



Montdidier— Compiegne— Soissons 89 

By the time this book appears it is quite possible 
that the enterprising proprietor of the "Lion Rouge" 
at Soissons may have so reorgartised and repaired his 
hotel that one may be able to put up there ; if so, then 
stay there by all means ; it will make a splendid centre 
from which to conduct investigations. Otherwise the 
nearest place of any importance and habitable is 
Compiegne, where there is a large and excellent hotel. 
Compiegne, however, is a long way to go back should 
the reader wish to go over the Chemin-des-Dames 
country as far as Berry-au-Bac. I expect, also, that 
any person who gets as far east as this will not rest 
satisfied without seeing Rheims, which is only about 
eighteen kilometres south-east and under sixty from 
Soissons, through Fismes and Braisne — or Braine as 
it is sometimes spelt. 



SECTION VI 
The Retreat from Mons 

MONS — LE CATEAU — VILLERS-COTTERETS — 
THE MARNE 

The retreat from Mons was one of those episodes — 
one can hardly call it more than an episode in a war of 
the dimensions of the one just concluded — which will 
go down in history to our children and grandchildren 
in much the same way as the Charge of the Light 
Brigade, the Indian Mutiny, or the Battle of Water- 
loo or Trafalgar have left their imprint on our own 
minds. It proved again — if proof were needed — that 
British troops do not recognise defeat even if it stares 
them in the face, as it did many times during the 
retreat to the Marne. 

After the fall of Namur on August 23, 1914, Mons 
was obviously the next point of importance in the 
path of the German advance, and so, on the same day 
that saw the fall of Namur, the enemy attacking in 
great strength, forced our 2nd Corps, holding the line 
of the Conde Canal encircling the town, to fall back 
and abandon their positions. Lying as it does on the 
main line from Paris to Brussels, with a line also run- 
ning towards the eastern frontier through Hirsons and 
Mezieres and a branch line to Laon and Chalons — 

this latter place being to the French Army what Alder- 

90 



The Retreat from Mons 91 



shot is to the British— Mons was a most important 
centre. 

The capital of Hainault, Mons had a population 
before the war of some 29,000 inhabitants, and Hes 
near the centre of the most important of the Belgian 
coal-mining districts. It was here that, on August 23, 
1914, the British Expeditionary Force had its first 
great trial of strength with the German hordes. 
During the enemy occupation Mons was used as a 
sort of advanced base hospital, and quite a lot of our 
men who died from wounds were buried in the ceme- 
tery there. 

To reach the town from the northern part of the 
front, such as Bailleul, the best route is through Ar- 
mentieres — Lille — Tournai, and then taking the Ath 
road turn south just after going into Leuze and down 
through the Bois de Baudour. Personally, I should 
wait until Arras had been thoroughly inspected, and 
then take the long straight road which goes direct to 
Cambrai — called by the Germans the "Romer- 
strasse." This road continues after Cambrai, and 
should be left at a little village called Villers-en- 
Cauchies, in favour of the Valenciennes road. 

From Valenciennes the road on to Mons runs 
almost parallel with the railway, which it crosses just 
before reaching the town. Looking this route up on 
the map the reader may consider it rather a long way 
round, but I recommend it because of the fact that 
one may be able to see more of the enemy organisa- 
tion of their lines of communication. Motorists will 
be able to revel in the long, straight stretches, and, 



92 How to See the Battlefields 

more important still, this road is in very good con- 
dition, owing- to the fact that it was, in conjunction 
with the railway, one of the main arteries of supply 
for the enemy lines on the Western Front. 

Coming out of the town of Mons on the eastern 
side and taking the road to St. Symphorien on to Bray 
and Binche brings the tourist to the district in which 
our cavalry patrols engaged the enemy and *'held 
their own well." As a matter of fact, it is established 
beyond doubt that our cavalry, not only here, but at 
any other place where contact was made with Ger- 
mans, very much more than held its own. Quantity, 
not quality, was the sole reason that British cavalry, 
instead of advancing, had to fall back. 

A good road takes one down to Bavai, which place 
is interesting from the fact that here would have been 
found General French's Advanced Headquarters on 
August 24. Bavai is just north of the Foret de 
Mormal and on a straight road to Le Gateau, in which 
town was the pukka G.H.Q. during the critical stages 
of the retreat. During the retirement to the south- 
east of Conde by the 2nd Corps, some very stiff fight- 
ing occurred, the brunt of it having to be faced by the 
5th Division. Here again the cavalry — Hussars, 
Lancers and Dragoon Guards — came to the rescue 
and harassed the enemy's flanks with such success 
as to hold up their advance and enable our hard- 
pressed troops to fall back in good order. Every inch 
of the ground in this district has been stubbornly 
fought for, and many of the "Old Contemptibles " fell 
whilst covering the retirement of their comrades, and 



94 How to See the Battlefields 

the ist Corps — under the command of General Sir 
Douglas Haig — received high praise from the Com- 
mander-in-Chief for the brilliant work they did on the 
morning of August 24, 1914. 

Avesnes, which is reached by a direct road almost 
due south from Maubeuge, was the headquarters of 
General Sordet's French Cavalry Corps, but newly 
arrived from adding to its laurels by most brilliant 
defence work with our Belgian Allies in the opening 
days of the German offensive. From Avesnes west- 
wards through Maroilles we get to Landrecies, and 
thus on through Pommereuil to Le Cateau, which, as 
I mentioned before, was British G.H.Q. An exceed- 
ingly interesting part of the old line was this from 
Avesnes to Le Cateau, for both at this latter place and 
at Landrecies the British troops put up a stiff fight. 

Le Cateau is a small town of — before the war — 
some 10,000 inhabitants, and was principallv noted 
for its woollen mills. Standing as it does, and 
being the junction of several important roads, 
as well as on the main line to the French capital, 
it had a certain strategic importance, which no 
doubt led to its being chosen for G.H.Q. It was 
during the night of the 25th that Fritz bit off 
a little more than he could chew and got bitten in 
turn by the British bulldog. Pushing up troops 
through the Mormal Forest he violently attacked 
Landrecies and got badly trounced by the 4th Brigade 
(Guards), commanded by Brigadier-General Scott- 
Kerr. The Guards — as one of their number described 
it afterwards— "had a regular picnic," and actually 



The Retreat from Mons 95 

killed over 800 Germans by machine-gun and rifle fire 
in a very short time. Le Cateau was the scene of the 
much-criticised but magnificent stand of the 2nd 
Corps under General Smith-Dorrien, who was advised 
to retreat, but preferred to fight. Whcitever critics 
may say, and whether the decision to remain and fight 
was right or wrong — who can deny that the battle of 
Le Cateau added another glorious page to the history 
of the nation ? And the story of the guns at Le 
Cateau — who has not heard of it ? 

Following the line of retreat down through Bohain, 
it would not be a bad idea to branch off and take a 
quick survey of the country both east and w^est of this 
place, calling at Le Catelet on the west down through 
Lempire, Roussoy, Hargicourt, Nauroy, Joncourt, 
Ramicourt, and working over through Fresnoy le 
Grand to Wassigny, then afterwards bearing south 
again through Grougis, Montigny, Fonsomme, Hom- 
bli^res, into St. Quentin. 

It is more generally understood that General 
French had an idea of making a stand on the Somme 
south of St. Quentin, a project which he abandoned 
owing to the "shattered condition of the troops, which 
had fought at Le Cateau," so the retreat continued 
in the direction of the line, La Fere — Noyon, to 
which latter town G.H.Q. was transferred on the 
26th. Here and there— by the roadside or, possibly, 
just in a corner of a wood or orchard — sometimes in 
the middle of a field, silhouetted against the evening 
sky, may be seen little groups of weather-worn 
crosses, two or three together, perhaps one isolated 



96 How to See the Battlefields 

a few score yards away. Examination, as a rule, 
reveals that they mark the graves of men of our 
gallant Old Army who fell during the retreat. Many 
of these isolated crosses are to the memory of cavalry- 
men who sacrificed themselves to save heavier disaster, 
simply and whole-heartedly doing their duty, asking 
not the reason why. Hardly decipherable some of the 
names were the last time I saw them in August, 1918; 
the crosses overgrown and green with moss and lichen. 
Since then, however, a lot of good work has been done 
by the Graves Registration ; the country has been 
scoured from end to end, the crosses numbered and 
re-named, and everything made ready for the day 
when, as I understand, all isolated graves will be 
opened, and the remains reverently carried to the big 
memorial cemeteries which are being arranged in 
many districts. 

As I have noted before, the enemy, with all their 
faults, seem to have a certain amount of respect for 
the dead. Many of their cemeteries show that great 
care and attention has been paid to the French and 
British dead equally with their own. One cemetery 
in particular, near Boisleux-au-mont, off the Arras — 
Bapaume road, was exceptionally well cared for. 
French, British, and Germans lay side by side, each 
grave with an elaborate cross and marked out with 
box-edging, paths carefully tended, and the whole 
place planted with flowers. At the far end a huge 
cross had been erected, constructed out of tree trunks, 
with an ornate carved wood tablet to the memory of 
the fallen. 



The Retreat from Mons 97 

However — to continue with the Retreat — on Aug. 26 
G.H.Q. moved to Noyon, a town which is well worth 
visiting, and which is on the direct road through 
Ham and Guiscard, a picturesque route all the way 
until one arrives at the old town of Charlemagne — a 
piece of sculpture to the memory of whom used to be 
in the market-place, and may be there yet, although 
I believe the Boche knocked the place about very 
badly in 19 18, setting fire to the Cathedral about two 
days after my own people evacuated the town in 
company with the French 75 's. Noyon was noted for 
two things when I got there first — one was the ex- 
cellent hotel, and the other the paper shop in the 
market-place, presided over by Mdlle. Louise and her 
mother. Mademoiselle was a most attractive person 
and knew it, and the shop presently became a sort of 
daily rendezvous for certain Staff officers, who ap- 
parently had nothing better to do; so that it became, 
in time, somewhat of an ordeal to face the assembly 
of "brass hats" in order to make one's modest pur- 
chase of the Daily Mail — two days old — or a packet 
of letter-paper and envelopes. I wonder if madame 
and her charming daughter managed to get away 
safely before the Boche arrived? 

On the 28th G.H.Q. was moved from Noyon to 
Compi^gne, and remained there about four days. A 
direct and picturesque road leads from Noyon to 
Compi^gne through Ribecourt. The roads through 
the once Royal Forest of Compi^gne are charming, 
and this place in itself is well worth a short stay. 
Excellent accommodation may be obtained in the 



98 How to See the Battlefields 



town, which, for a long time, was a most important 
French Headquarters. There is an excellent hotel, 
which has quite a Parisian savour, and which would 
make a very handy temporary headquarters, from 
which the country in the direction of Soissons, Villers- 
Cotterets, Cr^py-en-Valois, Senlis, and Clermont 
could be explored. There is a splendid road from 
Clermont down to Creil, then on to Senlis, and across 
country to Villers-Cotterets, where an important rear- 
guard action was fought on September i, the same 
day that **L" Battery immortalised themselves at 
Nery, fighting heroically against overwhelming odds. 
The day before this G.H.Q. had gone to Dammartin, 
and on September 2 went to Lagny, and on Septem- 
ber 3 to Melun. 

September 5 saw the end of the retreat from Mons, 
and preparations in full swing for the forthcoming 
crushing defeat of the German hosts in the First 
Battle of the Marne — a battle which, in spite of the 
fact that the war dragged into another weary four 
years, was the deciding point of the whole affair. 
Had the Battle of the Marne ended in a defeat for the 
Allied Forces, there is little doubt that Paris would 
have fallen — a catastrophe from which, I believe, 
France would never have recovered. To turn round 
after a retreat, in some parts very disorderly — especi- 
ally after the 2nd Corps' stand — and deal such a 
smashing blow at the enemy, reflects the greatest 
credit on troops who had been enduring hell on half 
rations, sometimes no rations at all, for fifteen days. 
During the period when the B.E.F. was moving 



The Retreat from Mons 99 

up from the Aisne district to Flanders, I met a cor- 
poral of the 3rd Worcester Regiment, who kept a 
rough diary of the retreat as it appeared to him. 
There are so many human notes in it, that I think it 
is quite worth reprinting here, 

"Disembarked at 9.55 p.m., slept in the sheds at 
night, left for the train at 7.30 a.m. Sunday, August 
16, at Rouen station, and left for Aulnoye at 11.35 
a.m. Stopped at a station, Abancourt, at 3 p.m., 
where they (the French) provided us with cigarettes ; 
they were very good to us. We then left for Bifur 
at 4.30 p.m. We were greeted at all stopping places. 
We then went on to St. Quentin, arrived at 8.20 p.m., 
and all the population turned out to see us (the un- 
known quantity or quality as the case may be). W^e 
went on to Aulnoye, detrained, and stayed three 
days, when we went through our usual routine work. 
Thursday, 20, Reveille sounded at 5.30 a.m. After 
cleaning up our various sleeping places, and having 
breakfast, we fell in at 9 a.m., and marched to Dom- 
pierre, arriving at 10.30 a.m.; distance about four 
miles. Detailed at 6 p.m., we billeted in barns, etc. 
Dompierre is a large and very pretty place. We 
visited the Roman Catholic church here. At the re- 
quest of the population of Avesnes (about seven miles 
from Dompierre) the English troops were taken on a 
route march to that place (Avesnes). We were every- 
where greeted by all in a very hearty manner. 

''Friday, August 21. — Reveille sounded at 2.30 
a.m. Breakfast at 4 a.m. Parade at 4.45. The whole 



100 How to See the Battlefields 

Brigade left Dompierre and marched through St. 
Austin, Wattigmes, and reaching the coast, marched 
towards the Belgian frontier, passing through 
Limont Fontaine, St. Reminal Hautmont, and 
billeted at Feigniers, reaching there at 2.30 p.m., 
having marched twenty-one miles. The frontier is 
three miles from here. 

'* Sunday, August 23. — We took up position and 
put obstacles; fighting started at 4 p.m. We en- 
trenched ourselves along the railway, and pulled up 
some of the lines. Firing ceased about 7.30 p.m. 
No sleep. 

"Monday, 24. — Fighting commenced about 3 a.m. 
We retired about ten miles, losing fifteen killed and 
about eighteen wounded. The Germans lost thou- 
sands of men. Most of our men were killed by artillery 
fire; very few were killed by rifle fire. The Middlesex 
lost 600 rank and file. Took up position, and put out- 
post out. No sleep. 

^^ Tuesday, 25. — We opened fire at the enemy 
about 3 a.m., and continued fighting until about mid- 
day; killed, one officer and two wounded. Six Ger- 
mans blew up the village close by us ; the women and 
children were lying dead and wounded, with their 
heads and legs blown away by shell fire. We retired, 
and marched until Wednesday morning. No sleep 
since 23rd. 

" Wednesday, 26. — We were waiting for the 
enemy to advance, when we were informed that our 
position was not suitable for our GeneraPs plan. We 
were moving forward in single file, when the Germans 



102 How to See the Battlefields 

opened on us with rifle fire, and men fell. We re- 
turned their fire, and as usual the accuracy of our 
fire caused them to retire. Another forced night- 
march, in which we had to be extra careful. 

" Thursday, Aug, 27. — After an hour's rest (4 a.m. 
to 5 a.m.), we carried on with the march, and con- 
tinued the march which will go down in history as 
one of the finest accomplished. 

"From Monday midday till Thursday, distance 
about 130 miles, with a rest of one hour only, and 
having no food from Sunday until Thursday; we 
couldn't get anything except apples, pears, carrots, 
swedes — this is all we lived on. Received great praise 
from Smith-Dorrien for this. 

"Marching all day Saturday and Saturday night, 
blowing up all bridges we passed over, a few well- 
placed shells doing the trick ; we had two hours' rest 
on Sunday morning (4 a.m. to 6 a.m.), and then con- 
tinued the march to Vic-sur-Aisne. We stayed in a 
brewery for the night, and heard that the French had 
held the enemy back. We were well looked after 
here, having plenty of wine and beer, with which we 
filled our bottles before we marched. 

''Monday, August 31, 1914. — Marching to Vic- 
sur-Aisne, we arrived at 5.30 p.m., about forty miles. 
We had a good reception there, and billeted in a wine 
manufacturing place, we had plenty given us to drink. 
No sign of the enemy that day. 

''Tuesday, September i, 1914. — We left Vic-sur- 
Aisne and marched south, starting at 5 a.m., and 
arrived at the boundary of a small village. We had 



The Ret at from Mons 103 



to turn back three or four times owing to German 
patrols; this force numbered i,ooo, but the French 
have captured 600, leaving 400, who are behind our 
lines. Our artillery has fired all the woods. We 
arrived here at 7.30 p.m.; twenty miles. 

" Wednesday, September 2, 1914. — Marching out 
of camp at 2.30, we put outposts in position, drawing 
them in at 5.30, when we left for a place near Paris — 
fifteen miles — and did outpost duty until 5.30 p.m. 
Came in from outpost and cooked dinner ; had a wash 
and shave, which made us quite fresh. Our reason 
for the precaution of outpost was the fact that there 
were a number of Uhlans who had strayed and were 
lost. We went out at 7 p.m. for all night outpost 
duty. 

^^ Thursday, September 3, 1914. — We retired from 
outpost at 5 a.m., and marched through Meaux; 
after we had passed, the bridges were blown up. We 
marched on about three miles, then halted for dinner 
and two hours' rest. We enjoyed ourselves fine in a 
huge fruit plantation, where we helped ourselves, 
filling our haversacks; continuing the march to a vil- 
lage named Sancy, arriving at 6 p.m., we were settled 
at 7 p.m., and cooked our supper. When a German 
aeroplane came over, the troops were ordered to open 
fire on it, bringing it down in a field three miles away. 
Our cavalry went out and secured it. 

''Friday, September 4, 1914. — We got up at 6 
a.m. and cooked our breakfast, and received orders to 
stand to, not being able to leave our arms; this con- 
tinued until dinner, and we were still awaiting orders 



104 How to See the Battlefields 

at tea-time. Immediately after tea we received news 
that the Russians had captured a force of Austrians 
75,000 strong and 150 guns, at a place near Lemberg. 
This news was given to us by the Commanding 
Officer, Colonel Stuart. About 6.15 p.m. an Austrian 
aeroplane came over our camp; the troops were 
ordered to fire, but with no apparent effect upon its 
flight. At 7 p.m. we had an issue of rum per man, 
which had a very comforting effect during the night. 
We moved off at 11.30 p.m., and marched all night. 

"Saturday, September 5, 1914. — We arrived, and 
immediately went on outpost for the Brigade at 8 a.m. 
This was after marching twenty miles, which brought 
us into the Charpre district. We rested during the 
day, cooking, etc., excepted. We were allowed to 
go to a small village to obtain water. 

''Sunday. — During one of our halts, we received 
a message from a staff officer saying that a force of 

Germans, 200,000 strong to our five Army Corps 

(63,000). We were now making tracks towards them. 
The French are gettmg round them, and we are 
attacking their centre. 

''Sunday, September 6, 1914. — We commenced 
our advance towards the north at 5 a.m., and were 
about sixteen miles away at 8 p.m. — at Lamonti^res, 
which some of the enemy occupied until our troops 
drove them out, killing a few, and capturing about 
800 of them. We finished the remainder of the night 
in reserve; it was here that the first reinforcements 
joined us. 

"Monday, September 7, 1914. — We were ordered 



I 



The Retreat from Mons 105 

to stand to arms at 4 a.m., and to await orders to 
move off; we had breakfast and dinner, and C Com- 
pany went on outpost duty, and killed four Germans, 
and kept their rifles, bayonets, and revolvers; took 
the wounded to hospital after having bandaged them. 
We were allowed to go into the village to buy bread, 
and we found a house and brew^ery that had been 
ransacked; the place had been turned upside down 
and in a frightful state; we left in the evening, and 
completed a march of fifteen miles at 10.30 p.m. The 
place is a very large town. 

'* Tuesday, September 8, 1914. — We stood to arms 
at 3.30 a.m., and awaited orders, having breakfast at 
4.30 a.m. We marched at 7 a.m., continuing our 
advance due north until 8 p.m. On our way we 
passed two or three of our men killed and about 
eight wounded — several Germans were lying around; 
as a solace we had captured 500 German men and 
some officers (these men must be amongst the biggest 
of the human race); they had cut all telegraphic com- 
munication, and killed all the cattle, abused and ill- 
treated the women of all the villages, especially the 
girls. 

" Wednesday, September 9, 1914.— Moving off at 
6 a.m., we marched through a town named Vitry at 
8 a.m. There were a good number of German killed 
and wounded, and 5,000 prisoners, our brigade ac- 
counting for 300; we also captured much of their 
mechanical transport, motor cars, and cycles. Cross- 
ing a wide river we met with some resistance from 
the enemy; they held some rising ground on the 



io6 How to See the Battlefields 

other side. One of our regiments eventually captured 
a battery and some thirty or forty officers. We 
advanced down the slope of this ground in skirmish- 
ing order, and awaited orders from 2 p.m. until 5.30 
p.m., going on outpost duty at 8 p.m. 

''Thursday, September 10, 1914. — We commenced 
our advance at 6 a.m. Alongside a wood we saw a 
German battery out of action, and about 300 men 
killed. I took a bayonet and bolt from the dead as 
a souvenir. We passed much of the enemy's trans- 
port, which had been blown up by our artillery, and 
all their commissariat seems to be composed of is 
food they have looted from the French. They are 
retiring in a hurry towards their own frontier. March- 
ing through a village we saw a church full of wounded 
and about 500 German prisoners, who were standing 
outside. My section was sent to the flank to recon- 
noitre a wood ; we captured two Germans, and handed 
them over before we marched ; we continued the march 
until 8 p.m., and billeted in an orchard. 

''Friday, September 11, 1914. — We marched twelve 
miles, starting at 5 a.m., arriving at noon, billeting 
for the night. 

"Saturday. — We left our billets at 9.20 a.m., and 
continued our march towards the enemy ; a very wet 
day; march until 8 p.m.; we went on outpost duty, 
and had a wet night, all getting drenched to the skin. 

"Sunday, September 13, 1914. — We left at 7.30 
a.m. for a large town named Braine, which the enemy 
had only a few hours before vacated, after ransacking 
the town, throwing the merchandise out into the 



The Retreat from Mons 107 

street, setting fire to the houses. We formed up on 
the other side of the town ready for attack at 10.30 
p.m., and moved at 4 p.m.; we then moved to the 
right of the town and stayed for the night. 

''Monday, September 14, 1914. — We moved at i 
a.m. towards the river, where the enemy had taken up 
position and waited for us to cross. They had pre- 
viously blown up the bridges, and every time our men 
attempted to cross, they were met by a heavy fire from 
the enemy's big guns. A good many lives were lost 
in crossing, and as soon as we arrived on the other 
side we had to take cover under a high wall, with 
earth on the opposite side; the enemy's shells were 
bursting all around us ; some lives were lost ; my com- 
pany escaped with two killed and three wounded. 

''Tuesday, September 15, to September 20, 1914. — 
We moved at 2 p.m. to take up a position; we con- 
structed trenches from shell and rifle fire; we did not 
receive any ration for two days and three nights. 

"Wednesday, September 16, 1914. — We are still 
in the trenches, and the enemy have constructed de- 
fences — apparently seven lines of trenches. We are 
all hanging on to our positions, and I believe that a 
flanking movement is going on on the part of the 
French. They [the enemy] have tried two or three 
times to break through our line, and some have been 
cut off. These attacks commence about 6 p.m., and 
finish about 12 midnight. The Germans are maJving 
no headway. We are remaining here for a while. 

"Monday, September 21, 1914. — We held our 
positions in the trenches until 10 a.m., when we were 



io8 How to See the Battlefields 

relieved. The Leinsters relieved us. The regiment 
has been in the firing line just one month. After 
leaving the trenches we retired to a village near the 
river. 

''Tuesday, September 22, 1914. — We arrived in 
our camping ground at 7.30 a.m., and cooked our 
breakfast and dinner there, moving off again at 3.30 
through a village, and took up outpost duty during 
the night. Three companies were on outpost, four 
billeted, and one company was changed daily. You 
will note that this outpost was behind the firing line, 
being so placed to protect supplies sent along the 
line. We retired into the wood in the daytime for 
cover. 

''Thursday, September 24, 1914. — We are still in 
the same position, and remain here until further 
orders. Our firing line is now on the other side of the 
river from Braine; this is the position which the 
French held for seventeen days in 1870. It has been 
in our possession since September 13-14. We left 
at 5 p.m. and marched to Braine, where we billeted 
for the night at 10 p.m. and stayed for a few days 
to recuperate, and then joined the General Reserve. 

"Tuesday, September 29, 1914. — Had breakfast, 
and had a general clear-up after breakfast ; we then 
heard some of the latest news — of the Germans losing 

heavily. We also heard that Pte. , of the 

Regiment, was shot for cowardice on the 

26th inst. Running away from the firing line. I have 
to go into Braine with twelve men for guard at the 
Divisional Headquarters. We parade at 4.45 p.m. 



The Retreat from Mons 109 



''Thursday, October i. — We moved from our 
billets at 3 a.m. and marched into the village on our 
left, to protect supplies." 

In fifteen days the B.E.F. fell back no less than 130 
miles, fighting a rearguard action all the time. The 
casualties, more especially at Le Cateau, were heavy, 
and a large amount of much-needed war material, 
guns, and machine-guns were lost. In spite of this 
exceedingly demoralising experience, we find the 
Army, in about twenty-four hours, and at a time when 
the German General Staff considered them beaten to 
a standstill, turning round and putting in a powerful 
offensive which, in a few days, advanced the front 
over sixty miles, and sending the enemy in headlong 
retreat from the Marne to the Aisne, in addition to 
capturing many prisoners, guns, and stores. 

It is a very difficult proposition to try and point 
out all the places of interest on the line of retreat, 
and a complete survey of the ground is out of the 
question — even if I thought that my readers desired 
it ; so that I have contented myself with following as 
nearly as possible what might be called the centre 
of the line of the retreat from Mons downwards. This 
line, as will be seen from the map, is roughly as fol- 
lows : Mons, Bavai, Bois-le-Eveque, La Fere, 
Noyon, Foret de Gobain, Braine, Villers-Cotterets, 
the Marne. The traveller who is really interested, 
and cares to go to the trouble, can find plenty of 
people in the villages for some miles around the places 
I have named who will be able to describe their own 



no How to See the Battlefields 

localities in detail, and point out places of interest, 
and the burial places of those who fell in 1914. The 
most difficult district to conduct investigations with 
regard to 1914 lighting will be, undoubtedly, that 
section of the line which extends from Ribecourt and 
north of the Aisne to Berry-au-Bac, which was de- 
bateable land for such a long time in the hands of the 
French. From La Fere up to Mons is a much simpler 
matter, as the war affected this part very little after 
the first German rush in 1914, for it remained in the 
hands of the Boche and was well behind the lines until 
the beginning of the big retreat in 1918. 



SECTION VII 
From the Chemin-des-Dames to the Marne, 1918. 

THE CHEMIN-DES-DAMES 

Possibly the most dramatic phase of the whole war 
was the one which was ushered in with the morning 
of May 26, 19 1 8, by the Crown Prince's overwhelm- 
ing attack on the Allied front between Soissons and 
Rheims, when the famous and bloody Chemin-des- 
Dames was again taken by the Germans, and the 
second retreat to the Marne began — a retreat which 
only finished after Chateau-Thierry was captured 
and the apex of the enemy salient was well across 
the Marne. 

The Chemin-des-Dames, as the road between Alle- 
mant — north-east of Soissons and now simply a heap 
of grass-grown ruins, and Berry-au-Bac — is called, 
runs through what is nothing more or less than a 
huge graveyard. Fighting almost as fierce as that 
which took place at Verdun celebrated the end of July 
and the first weeks of August, 1917. On this plateau 
the German dead and wounded have laid in their 
thousands, and the French losses, though not as 
heavy as those of the enemy, were heavy enough in 
all conscience. Since the time our **01d Con- 
temptibles" fought over this ground in September, 
1914, British troops had not again been in the lines 



112 How to See the Battlefields 

so far south until four divisions were moved down 
there on the right flank of the French in May, 1918. 

In September, 1914, the ist Corps confronted the 
Germans, very strongly entrenched, along the 
Chemin-des-Dames ridge. In those days the woods 
were much denser than they are now — after four years 
of shell-storms — and the fighting, apart from its 
severity, was very patchy, many units being unable 
to keep in touch with one another through the wooded 
country, which resulted in several narrow escapes for 
certain of the brigades and diyisions engaged. The 
3rd Division, for instance, was extricated from a very 
dangerous corner by the cavalry, and instead of being 
surrounded and cut off managed to beat off the Ger- 
man attacks, and finally consolidate a position which 
ran from near La Bovelle Farm and Cerny, on the 
high ground, down through Troyon, Chivy to Soupir 
at the bottom of the slope, and then on to the Cha- 
vonne — Soissons road. To this position they stuck 
tenaciously for nearly three weeks. During the action 
of September 14, 19 14, the ist Corps not only inflicted 
heavy losses on the enemy, but captured over a dozen 
guns and some hundreds of prisoners. 

To visit the Chemin-des-Dames battlefields, 
Soissons should be used as a starting place. Taking 
the road which leads out of the town by the Faubourg 
St. Medard the route is through Crouy; from there 
past what once used to be a sugar factory — at the 
cross-roads about three miles out of Crouy — and then 
on till the Chavignon turning is reached. Here the 
northerly route is taken, and about a mile farther on 




THB MAPF* CO,, LXi>^ LTlNUOti 



114 How to See the Battlefields 

the remains of AUemant will be seen on the right- 
hand side of the road. Continuing on to Pinon, a 
cut can be taken across to Vauxaillon — if there is time 
— or by turning east, get to Chavignon, and from 
there the south-west road leads direct on to the 
Chemin-des-Dames with a sharp turn eastwards. 
Malmaison Fort lies a few hundred yards off to the 
left-hand side of the Chemin-des-Dames, and is worth 
visiting, as some of the fiercest fighting in the war 
took place around this fort. 

The Fort de Malmaison dominated a certain 
amount of the plateau, and was considered by both 
the French and the Germans to be a point of very 
great strategical importance. In July, 191 7, the 
Crown Prince delivered one of his memorable assaults 
on a front which extended from the fort to the woods of 
Chevreux — a distance of approximately twenty-three 
kilometres. Some 60,000 troops were launched forth 
against the French position after a short bombard- 
ment. The French Intelligence Department had been 
busy for several days, however, and knew almost as 
much about the forthcoming attack as the enemy did, 
so that when the Huns started across No Man's Land 
they ran into a veritable tornado of French shells, a 
barrage so beautifully regulated that, with the excep- 
tion of one or two sections, the enemy were practi- 
cally wiped out before they got half way across ; those 
who did arrive at the French front line were received 
with bomb and bayonet, and the result of the attack 
was an enormous loss of men by the enemy and an 
advance near Cerny by the French. 



Chemin-des-Dames to Marne 115 

Between Malmaison Fort and the mill at les 
Bovelles there is a little hillock which was called "The 
Pantheon." It was in this position that the French 
troops — mostly Chasseurs — put up a fight which will 
go down in history as one of the most heroic of the 
whole war. Time after time did these gallant men 
repulse the German hordes — which heavily out- 
numbered them — and after about twenty hours' fight- 
ing remained masters of the position. Many of the 
brave defenders were killed, but the ground around 
"The Pantheon" was literally covered with ^ead and 
dying Germans; "in one place bodies were lying on 
top of one another so that they constituted in them- 
selves an additional parapet," so one of the defenders 
writes in a letter to his mother describing the fight. 
Heroes all, these French Chasseurs, magnificent both 
in attack and defence. The Ladies' Way might well 
have been renamed that day the Way of Blood. 

Many and many a fight has taken place along the 
slopes of this ill-omened ridge, and from Allemant to 
Craonne our Allies have fought it inch by inch until, 
as at Verdun, the Hun, after losing many thousands 
of men, finally gave it up in despair, and left the 
French to hold the dominating position for many 
months. It is estimated by a competent French 
authority that in the battles which took place for the 
Chemin-des-Dames ridge in June and July, 1917, that 
the German armies under the Crown Prince lost in 
casualties over one hundred thousand men, and at 
the end of that time had gained nothing of the least 
importance to show for it. 



ii6 How to See the Battlefields 

After the retreat from Mons in 1914 it was not 
until May, 19 18, that British troops were called upon 
to take up their positions in the line on the Chemin- 
des-Dames, and then the gth Corps, which made such 
a brilliant reputation in Flanders, took over the line 
on the right of the French between Courtecon and 
Berry-au-Bac. The divisions engaged were the 21st, 
8th and 50th, and the 25th was in support. 

There has been a lot of criticism in connection 
with our withdrawal from the Chemin-des-Dames 
positions, and no doubt many things happened which 
should not have happened. But any war — great or 
small — can provide similar instances. It is but fair, 
however, that the public should thoroughly realise the 
actu-^l facts. First of all, the divisions which I have 
named had suffered very severely indeed in various 
parts of the line since the beginning of the break- 
through on March 21, 19 18. They had suffered to such 
an extent that they had been picked out specially for a 
rest in a quiet part of the line. The quiet part of the 
line chosen was the Chemin-des-Dames, or a portion 
thereof, and very glad the divisions were to get down 
south for a time, miles away from the northern in- 
ferno. It should also be realised that a division which 
has been engaged in heavy fighting for some weeks 
sustains proportionately heavy losses, and to replace 
these losses in 1918 was an exceedingly difficult 
matter. The reinforcements, when they did arrive, 
were of the latest classes, trained — and very well 
trained too, to a certain extent — at home. Practically 
all the drafts were composed of youngsters who had 



Chemin-des-Dames to Marne 117 

never heard a shot fired in anger and had no more 
idea of modern warfare than that which they had 
absorbed from their instructors. To put such troops 
in the line and expect them to withstand the attack 
of a huge force, which many times outnumbered them, 
was asking for trouble. It is now a well-known fact 
that the Germans had massed a very large number of 
men in underground retreats quite close up to their 
own front line, and on May 26 this fact, as well as the 
knowledge that the enemy intended to attack almost 
immediately, became patent to our own authorities, 
and the well-earned rest of many survivors of the 
earlier fighting was rudely broken. The weather was 
glorious, and the men thought that they were on a 
real good thing. Reports brought in stated that the 
German front line was very lightly held. A very 
occasional gun could be heard, and it was quite safe 
to show oneself on the parapet — snipers were ap- 
parently non-existent. The next thing that happened 
was the arrival of a regular hail of extraordinarily 
well-placed shells in our battery positions — some of 
the howitzers had been in position but a few hours — 
and then — the deluge ! 

Our men fought like heroes, but without avail. 
In a very short time the enemy had reached the heavy 
batteries — a long way behind our original front line — 
and some of our guns went west. At least one battery 
commander died, revolver in hand, defending the 
guns which he was unable to get away. So sudden 
and overwhelming was the onrush of the enemy that 
the 9th Corps Heavy Artillery H.Q. had barely time 



ii8 How to See the Battlefields 

to get clear. The withdrawal to the River Vesle be- 
came general. During the rearguard fighting the 
Lancashires, Berkshires, Durham Light Infantry, and 
Northumberland Fusiliers added to their laurels by 
putting up a very stubborn resistance, and were the 
means of saving several heavy guns by holding up 
the enemy long enough for the gunners and Army 
Service Corps to get them on the move — hauled by 
the huge caterpillar tractors, whose maximum speed 
is about two and a-half miles per hour. For these 
caterpillar drivers I have the greatest admiration ; they 
would drive through anything, and on more than one 
occasion they have been attacked by the enemy and 
have beaten him off. In one case literally so, for the 
implement used was a large spanner, with which a 
hefty North-countryman brained several over-eager 
Huns who attempted to rush the tractor. 

In their eagerness to hurry fresh troops up into 
the line the Huns made free use of motor lorries and 
in full view of our infantry, though out of effective 
rifle or machine-gun range. These lorries could be 
seen disgorging troops on to the roads at various 
points, whence, when formed up, they advanced into 
support ready to take their positions in the next for- 
ward wave. It was a most tantalising sight, and we 
all hoped that even one i8-pounder might come into 
action. Nothing in that way happened, however, as 
all the guns were either captured or out of action from 
one cause or another. 

I think the best routes to follow, if the tourist 
intends to carry on southwards to the Marne, will be 




THB MAPPA CO , tTD,, LONDO^ 



120 How to See the Battlefields 

from Berry-au-Bac to Cormicy, then westerly to Con- 
cevreux; from there along the road which hugs the 
southern bank of the canal to Maizy ; and continue on 
from there till the road is crossed by the (Euilly — 
Fismes road. Here a turn is made due south, down 
through Merval ; then over the high ground down to 
Fismes, which was a thriving and attractive litde 
town when we arrived there in May, 1918, and went 
into nice, comfortable billets, to await the arrival of 
our artillery, which was following by train. Fismes 
then possessed one hotel, near the railway station, 
and if this has not been smashed up — it was intact 
the last time I saw it, but very possibly suffered in 
the fighting which took place in the vicinity of the 
station — accommodation of a kind can be obtained. 
There is also a caf6 in the main street, not thirty 
yards away from the Hotel de Ville, where excellently 
cooked food could be obtained, the proprietor having 
been rather a well-known chef in Paris and Versailles, 
and who was very keen to produce specimens of the 
culinary art to those who could appreciate them. As 
might be expected, he possessed an excellent cellar, 
which, I am afraid, must have been pretty well looted 
when the Huns arrived in 1918 and made the place 
their headquarters for a short time. 

Through the main street of Fismes runs the main 
Soissons — Rheims road, which, with the exception of 
occasional patches of very vile pav6, was in excellent 
condition when I last went through the town on the 
way to Jonchery. Rheims is less than twenty miles 
from Fismes, and really ought not to be missed. 



Chemin-des-Dames to Marne 121 

Much as I wanted to see the place, I never got there ; 
things developed too rapidly to allow any stolen joy 
rides. Still, though many episodes in the long tale 
of the war will quickly be forgotten, the destruction of 
Rheims is a thing apart; it is a crime which has 
struck horror into the hearts of all civilised nations. 
The inexcusably wanton bombardment of the cathe- 
dral — following on the pillage of Louvain — is one of 
those things which cannot be explained away. Heaven 
help any German trader who dares to show his face 
in the town for many years to come ! 

From Fismes southwards there are two alternative 
routes after reaching the pretty little village of St. 
Gilles. One is the direct road through Crugny, 
Serzy and Savigny and then through Coemy to 
Lhery, which takes one on to the main road through 
Romigny and Olizy-et-Violaine to Chatillon-sur- 
Marne. The other is to take the due south road out of 
Crugny, then through Brouillet into Lagery — a place 
which I shall not forget in a hurry, for several 
reasons. In Lagery there lived a most charming 
French Town Major, M. le Capitan Foret, and I can 
never thank this officer enough for his unfailing 
courtesy and the tremendous amount of trouble he 
went to in order that my men should have comfortable 
billets. We were actually served out with bedsteads, 
clean mattress covers, and pillow cases, and in the 
billet — which was beautifully clean — separate little 
cubicles and bunks for the N.C.O.'s. Everything 
that we could possibly have wished for — not even ex- 
cepting salad and fresh butter — was supplied by this 



122 How to See the Battlefields 

most incomparable of Town Majors. Would that 
some of our own Town Majors could have taken a 
lesson from his book ! 

Captain Foret is a cavalryman, who has seen a lot 
of service and been severely wounded in the earlier 
days of the war. Immaculate in dress and in manner, 
a soldierly figure with several decorations, he is the 
beau ideal of a gallant French soldier, and my only 
regret is that I was much too busy to get in touch 
with him when we had to evacuate the place, and so 
had to leave the district without thanking him for all 
he did for my unit during its short stay there. 

One of the things which I particularly noticed 
while at Lagery was the rapidity with which the in- 
fantry advance was followed up by observation bal- 
loons. To the north of the village, some two or three 
miles away, there is a ridge, and in the short space of 
one hour I counted no fewer than fourteen of these 
balloons rise slowly into the air. At first I thought 
they were our own, but inquiries made from some 
very weary French infantry who were falling back 
soon dissipated this idea, as did the shelling which 
took place a little later in the day. 

With the exception of one — that from Lhery to 
Romigny — all the roads in the district between Lhery 
and Romigny are mere country lanes, abounding in 
bad turns and with one or two short but steep hills. 
Owing to this, the congestion which took place on 
these tracks during the retreat was indescribable, and 
to add to the confusion a covey of about twenty to 
twenty-five Boche planes harried the retreating troops 



Chemin-des-Dames to Marne 123 

with machine-gun fire from a very low ahitude. Many 
men and horses were killed and wounded, and it took 
us over two hours to get our transport from Lagery 
to Lhery, a distance of under one mile ! The scene 
may be imagined, with all the transport, guns, infan- 
try, ambulances, etc., etc., converging on Lhery from 
all possible directions — all trying to make the high 
road leading south. 

From Romigny it is a very pretty drive down to 
Chatillon, and then to Pont-^-Binson, at which place 
the Marne is crossed. Evidences of the fighting here 
are all too apparent. From Pont-k-Binson the road 
south of the Marne should be taken, as far as the 
bridge which crosses the river into Verneuil ; from 
there on to Vincelles and Dormans — where the river is 
again crossed — continuing along the south bank 
through Soilly to Courtemont. Here it is advisable 
to cross to Jaulgonne ; and from there it is but a short 
distance to Charteves — a very pretty little spot. From 
Charteves it is but a comparatively short run to 
Chateau-Thierry. 

The story of the Americans at Chateau-Thierry 
is history, and those who view the desolation and 
destruction wrought in this once beautiful old town 
can reconstruct for themselves the scene of the cross- 
ing of the Marne and the recapture of the town by 
these brave Allies of ours. 

From Chateau-Thierry to Epernay is one of the 
prettiest motor runs that could be possibly imagined, 
and although this latter town has been somewhat 
damaged by bombs, the damage is not obtrusively 



124 How to See the Battlefields 

noticeable. The champagne cellars in Epernay are 
worth seeing, especially those of Moet et Chandon, 
and there is also an excellent hotel — the Hotel de 
r Europe — which is an ideal place to put up at, for the 
cooking is perfect. 

In bringing this little book to an end I should like 
to point out that in many cases where there has been 
a choice of routes I have not always advised the 
reader to take the best — that is, of course, looking at 
the matter from a motorist's point of view. My 
choice has always been guided by a desire to point 
out places which were of interest entirely from a war 
standpoint. 

In many cases it will be impossible to take a 
car within half a mile or so of the point named, 
and even then one would have to traverse some 
very bad tracks to get as near as this. The ques- 
tion simply boils itself down to this — if you 
want to see the really interesting parts of the lines you 
must do quite a lot of "foot-slogging" over rough 
ground; in other words, go to a certain amount of 
trouble. In any case, "foot-slogging" may be tiring 
and bad for the boots, but it is excellent for the liver 
and a much finer aperitif than one can get out of a 
bottle. After a day or two trench hopping and 
dodging shell-holes an appetite will be created that 
would appreciate even bully beef and biscuits. Ask 
Thomas Atkins ! 



Prin'ted by Cassell & CoMPAN'Y, Limited, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C.4 

F. 40. 819 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: ^f^y m\ 

PreservationTechnoIogie: 

A WORUD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATIOI 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 



UBRABVOFCONG 




007 675 



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